Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-11-03
THE LAST OF MANY MILLIONS.
Only n Few Left of the Giant Tortoises in
Galapagos.

GalhphBCss
DR.. Baur, who probably knows more
about turtles than any other man liv-
ing, has just returned to Washington
from the Galapagos Islands. He brings
news of the almost entire extinction of
the gigantic tortoises, for which that
little archipelago long ago became cele-
brated. There are none of them left on
any of the isles, except Albemarle and
Duncan. About dozen remain on
Duncan, and very few survive on
Albemarle, high up in the mountains.
Science regards these islands as clas-
sical ground. because Darwin obtained
there the first ideas which led to the
Investigations eliminating in his work
on the Origin of Species" He visited
only portion of the archipelago, but
his explorations resulted in the discov-
cry of an extraordinary fauna, many
kinds of animals being found that were
unknown elsewhere in the world. Prof.
Baur has added largely by his recent
expedition to the number of peculiar
species. He obtained specimens of
twenty-one entirely new species of
birds, also several new species of liz
~
like rodent hitherto unfamiliar to sci
ence.
| The most extraordinary of the ami
mails peculiar to the archipelago were
the huge black land tortoises. From
them is derived the name Galapagos,
given by the Spaniards in the sixteenth
century. Some of these turtles at
tanned a weight of nearly one thousand
pounds. Unfortunately for them, it
was soon discovered that they were
particularly good to eat, and whaling
and other vessels acquired q habit of
stopping at the islands for supplies of
fresh meat in this shape. The crea-
lures served admirably for the purpose,
inasmuch as they would live on ship
board for many months and could be
killed when wanted for the table. In
this way six Thousand turtles were
taken from Charles Island alone in one
year. 1t has been reclSoned that nc
fewer than ten million of the animals
have been carried away by ships from
the archipelago since its discovery.
On the whole, it is rather surprising
that any of them are left DR.. Baui
explored Duncan Island thoroughly and
| 1ounu twenty tOrtolSeS. ,Ot these he
took eight, spacing the rest. Four OF
these he sent to Chicago, where they
are now alive at Lincoln park; the 9th
ers died.
The archipelago consists of fifteer
small islands. The line of the equator
runs directly through it. 1t lies due
west from the coast of Ecuador si1
hundred and fifty miles. One reason
why the animals are so interesting i.
that they are very ancient, being sur
vivors of the tertiary period. They are
: vegetable feeders, browsing on til,
young roots of cacti and grasses II
former times they visited the sea peri
odically, but the few survivors hav,
abandoned the custom. Being yer,
fond of fresh water, they have had th,
habit of making long pilgrimages t,
reach springs high up on the noun
tains. To get to them they woulC
travel day and night at the rate o
three or four miles an hour. Thus. il
the course of centuries, regular road
were made by them to and from tn
watering places, and it was by follow
ing these well-traveled paths from the
coast that the Spaniards came acros
the springs Journal.