The San Francisco call., 1897-06-20
Ad h P and he Bari Tm Yacht runk SumRr
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He spent several days negotiating for the
purchase of suitable vessel, but finally
concluded shat it would be better to char
ter a schooner and secured the Lila and
M a title.
Captain Robert Linbridge, Ter master,
who has made many trips 10 the South
Seas. was instructed 10 secure a crew that
would give all possible aid to the scientific
party, and then the work of provisioning
the vessel was proceeded with. The party
are fully equipped with guns, ammuni-
ton, fishing tackle and nets, insect nets
and Gases, herb books and presses and all
other apparatus necessary to make the
expedition a success, and Mr.. Harris
thinks that the value to science of The
specimens that will be collected will be
incalculabe.
He talked freely Yesterday of his expe-
diiion and gave the following outline of
the work contemplated:
THE expedition is sentout by the Frank
Blake Webster Com pauy, under the
patronage of Walter Rotl schild of Lon
don, who Is an enthusiastic naturalist
and whose wise expenditures of money
have done much TO secure q knowledge of
Almost inaccessible countries. He has
ordered that this expedition shall do what
has never been done beiore-make
thorough and systematic study and CLASH
fication OF the fora and fauna of:the South
tered for six months, with the privilege of
using ii for nine. If every hing goes well
L shall work 1t up to tee time limit. Ii
will take thirty days TO reach the islands
with favorable winds. and allowing the
same time to return, we VIII have seven
months 10 work on the islands, and / hope
to stop on many that are now but partly
known 10 scientists. .
at has been stated in one of the papers
that this expeditions was going after in
sects. This is only party true. We are
going to the South Sea Islands 10 make a
complete and exhaustive collection OF the
fora and fauna.
MANY OF these islands are the most re-
maTkable from a naturalist's standpoint,
yet the least known OF any in the world.
They mostly belong TO ECUADOR, and
some have been used by that C, uutry as
penal settlements for years, yet there have
been but four scientific parties there, and
none OF these have done more than make
q most supei ficial investigation.
Two German naturalists spent fifty
nine days on the islands, but only got
about thousand specimens. If l don't
get many thousand l hall be very much
disappointed. Professor Darwin visited
the islands in 1881, but the obstacles in
the way of an investigation were so great
that he stayed only three days What is
known about these islands is that they
have fora and fauna that is entirely
distinct from that OF all other parts
of the globe. The larger Islands are
densely wooded and one hundred and five
species OF birds have been listed there,
and oil these more than ninety were new
to science.
There are lizards, both marine AMI
land, that are distinct, and as for insects
they have never been fully studied. The
trees, shrubs, vines and flow ers are totally
dissimilar TO those found elsewhere, and
Il he whole aspect of life on the group
shows conciusive3y that the environments
h ave been unchanged Tor ages. Darwin
believes, because the islands rise precipil-
ously from the ocean and are covered by
thousands of volcanoes. that they are of
volcanic origin, but the theory most gen.
orally accepted by scientists now is that
they were once the center of the main
| land and the remarkable life TO be found
there has descended in un broken line
from prehistoric times. As there are no
abori ginaI men on the islands it can be
seen how the animals would not have 10
change their hs bits or env .ronments.
Many years ago domestic animals were
taken 10 the islands and afterward aban-
doned. The descendants Of these ran
wild, and now there are thousands of wild
cattle, goats. horses, pigs and dogs there,
the latter running in packs ard as savage
as wolves. There are q few people living
on some OF these islands, catching FISH
and gathering a species oi moss that is
used for fixing dyes They raise vege-
tables, and | expect TO get vegeisb bles from
them and fresh meat fIom the wild herds
OF cattle. My chief assistant, g. d. Hull,
who IS Dartmouth College man, vi /, in
addition TO looking after general matters,
pay attention TO the geology of the
islands.
"F. P. browne of Providence, r. l. who
is from the Woods Hole Biological Insli-
tute, will make study of marine lie. and
r. II. Beck, who is one Of the most en-
thusiastic collectors Of Cooper California
Ornithological Club, viii study birG life.
I'VE shall make every endeav. to- make
the trip a success, and as We have good
! backing, probably the best that mas ever
been behind any private expedition, l ex-
pect he results will be something far be-
yond anything that has ever been secured
in that part of the globe"