Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-02-04
EXPLORE CAVES
IN CANAL zone
Unique Experience Of Natural
History Museum Collectors.
MONKEYS AS FORECASTERS.

ten Before Storm-Volume of Sound
Suggests Roar of Lions-There Are
Countless Bats, Strong, Muscular and
Always Ready to Bite.
FL. e. Anthony and George Shiras
Sd have returned to New York from a
trip to the Panama canal zone, where
they went to. obtain fiashlight photo
graphs and specimens of animal life.
The trip was made in apprehension
that faunal conditions would undergo
abrupt changes with the damming Of
Gatun lake and the consequent extern
sion Of the inland water areas. AL
though canal completion has convert
ed expanses that were nearly all
marsh. except at the height of the
rainy season, into lake of 164 square
miles area and from sixty to eighty
feet deep in many places, the visitors
were in time to find many primitive
iaunal conditions. Mr.. Anthony, who
went as collector for the Museum Of
Natural History, reports the trip in the
current issue of the Museum Journal
Adventures began with "black howl
ers," the largest Of the Panaman mon
keys. whose booming and roaring calls
carry long distances through the tan
gled wilds. These animals howl loud
est and most often before a storm.
and thus the natives regard them as
weather prophets. Mr.. Anthony says
he came upon troop of the monkeys
while the first drops of a sudden
shower were pattering on the trees.
The volume Of sound suggested the
roar Of lions. He felt pang when he
aimed his gun at one Of the foremost.
but pangs of a more effective sort were
experienced when his native boy and
he tried to retrieve the monkey, which
had fallen into bees nest the size of
a buShel basket
Hunted With Headlight.
Countless bats were found. In their
cave life they separated into species.
and the sexes kept by themselves,
specimens in each mass being all of
one sex. They hung in clusters of sew
eral hundred individuals. Some of the
largest had wing expanse of twenty
six inches. AS the masses hung to-
gether they bore close resemblance to
the staactites with which the walls
and dOmed ceilings of the caves were
covered. Many of the big bats were
strong. muscular and always ready to
bite
The most efficient method of hunting
the jungle was by means of a head
light at night. when the light was re-
fected in the eyes of the animal. which
shOne like red. green or blue fire. The
animal could see nothing except the
light and thus was easily shot
Good fashlight pictures of small
mammals were obtained by setting out
cameras for them. Apparatus was
placed along runways and water
courses where the animals were apt to
pass. 1t consisted of mechanism to
fire magnesium flash and to trip the
shutter, and it was set off by a thread
attached to bait. When the animal
pulled the bait it thus fired the flash.
Spotted Rabbits"
One specimen illustrated in the re-
port is Of a paca. large rodent. ex-
ceeding in size the capybara. The ma
t1ves call 1t spotted rabbit" It's hab-
its are nocturnal. 1t was flashed while
Selling mango that had been placed
as bait. Opossums and many species
of rodents were flashed in the same
way. The trip yielded we'll in small
mammals, but not in large ones. Opos-
sums actually proved obstacles to flash
light work owing to their abundance
and their cmnivorous appetite. Mr..
Anthony says that probably rs per cent
Of the flashes fired were sprung by
opossums who found and seized the bait
shortly after dusk. before better game
was moving. The trip yielded for the
museum, however. many specimens not
heretofore represented.
Trips for the collection of specimens
will become increasingly difficult for
visitors owing to changing conditions
in the zone areas and also in respect to
'4oILoIS " ehC ouhIiCnNC W
the policy to maintain the isthmus as
game preserve. a policy adopted by
Colonel Goethals during the engineer
Ing work, which he has continued as
civil governor. Exception to the laws
against shooting game outside a short
open season will be made only in favor
of occasional geological expeditions
sent out for scientific purposes.