The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-11-08
THE LAST OF MANY MILLIONS
Only Few Left of the Giant Tortoses in
Galapagos.


Only Few Left of the Giant Tortoses in
Galapagos.
DIR. 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-
E0Tated. There are none of them left on
any of the isles, except Albemarle and
Duncan. About dozen remain on
Duncan, and a very few survive on
Albemarle, high up in the mountains.
Science regards these islands as elias
Steal 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 a 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
ards, new sort of bat, and mouse
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 a 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 reckOned that no
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. Dir Baur
explored Duncan Island thoroughly and
found twenty tortOises. OF these he
took eight, sparing 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 fifteen
IL. 4.
runs directly through it. 1t lies due
west from the coast of Ecuador six
hundred and fifty miles. One reason
why the animals are so interesting is
that they are very ancient, being sur
vivors of the tertiary period. They are
vegetable feeders. browsing on the
young roots of cacti and grasses. In
former times they visited the sea peri
odically, but the few survivors have
abandoned the custom Being very
fond of fresh water, they have had the
habit of making long pilgrimages to
reach springs high up on the noun
tains. TO get to them they would
travel day and night at the rate OF
three or four miles an hour. Thus, in
the course of centuries, regular roads
were made by them to and from the
watering places, and it was by follow
ing these well-traveled paths from the
coast that the Spaniards came across
the springs. Journal.
49,