Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

unique. That has been my good fortune and was a prime reason for embarking on
this writing venture. This first book is mainly concerned with my life and
experiences in the study of seals and whales in the Antarctic. Now in my retirement I
am able to look back over all this from a broad perspective in time and space.
I would like to express my thanks to the many people who have helped me in
these adventures, but will mention only a few by name here. Others are referred to in
the text.
Foremost is my lovely wife, Maureen, who for fifty years has been a tower of
strength and support. She has carried the burden of looking after a young family
when I was on my travels. The best part of it was when we could live and work
together as a family during the Africa years; then she was my unpaid secretary. But
this was not possible in the Antarctic. And later when I was travelling to attend farflung
committees she was left behind to cope with domestic problems. Never did
she complain although she has a very forthright nature, so I knew it must be all right!
And anyway, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’. But it was tough for her at
times particularly in earlier years when communications weren’t so good.
Over the years covered by this first book I would also like to acknowledge the
help and support I received from, my parents and from Freda Woods, from my
schoolteachers at Dame Allan’s School, notably Charles Hay, I C Joslin, Mrs Friend,
Mr. Mallinson. At Cambridge University I was particularly influenced by Sydney
Smith, Eric Smith, Hugh Cott, and by my contemporaries in Part II Zoology. In the
Antarctic context I owe a great deal to Derek Maling and Ralph Lenton and Arthur
Mansfield for their unstinted support in the field often in trying circumstances. Brian
Roberts and Vivian Fuchs were strong mentors: I was helped to get started
particularly by Launcelot Fleming and Colin Bertram.
I have much pleasure in thanking all those who helped me in the Antarctic,
especially my companions, J. A. Kendall, R. A. Lenton, D. H. Maling, A. W.
Mansfield, and the late C. J. Skilling; without their assistance much of the work
would have been impossible. I wish to acknowledge my debt to the managers of
Compana Argentina de Pesca, H. Eskedal, H. Karlsen and H. Larsen for facilitating
my work with the sealers, and to P. H. Tilbury of the South Atlantic Scaling
Company Limited, in the Falkland Islands. I also wish to thank J. A. F. Fozzard for
taking the X-ray photographs.
R. M. Laws
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