South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-07-28
FLAMINGO TO BE
ESCAPE EXTINCTION
IN The BAHAMAS
Order IN Council Has Been
Passed Giving Complete
Protection 10 Birds.

WASHINGTON. July 27.-Assur-
ance that the famingo. bird Of
beauty and mystery. Will escape eX-
tinctiOu is contained in n letter re-
ccived today by John oliver
LaGorce vice director OF the Ma
tioaal Geographic society, from II
L. ". Grant. colonial governor Of
the Bahamas. which says.
You viii be glad 20 hear that
an order in council has been passed
giving complete protection 20 the
f'amingO This glory OF our marshes
owes your expedition a debt Of graft
tude."
The action - the Bahamas couu-
Gil was taken following an eXpedi-
ton. which tailed the hamingO. the
most beautiful OF the worlds larger
birds. 20 its last stand. took motion
pictures OF the timOrOus birds.
brought about a realization Of how
near they were % becoming extinct
in the new world through annihila-
ton by native sponge fishermen who
hunted them down for rood purposes
al the nesting and melting season
Study OF FlamingO.
Tn first American naturalist %
locate and study the gorgeous
namingo was DR.. Frank NJ. Chap
man In 1901. when he estimated
that some %. 900 hamingoes were 20
be found on one OF the little known
islands OF the bahamas group. Since
then IL Is believed that fully two
thirds OF the colonies have persisted.
The expedition that spent 0 days
I'm the abysmal salt swamps OF An
drOs island. filming the fiamingo and
studying his habitat. for scientific
purposes. was sent out by the Miami
Aquarium association and the per
sonnet OF tho party included James
a Allison. president Of the assocla-
tion. Cal G. Fisher. its vice presi-
dent. Louis A. Fuertes. nature artist
and bird life expert; Norman Nc
Clintock. naturalist and bird pho
tographer. Louis l.. MOwbray, tech
nical director OF the Miami Aqua
rum: Charles Harrison Thompson.
Florida hunter and FISH expert. John
II. Levi. and John Oliver LaGOrce
secretary treasurer Of the aquarium
association. and vice director OF the
National Geographic society.
Explorers Ships.
"L'Apacne." Mr.. Allison's yacht
was the mother ship OF the expedi-
ton, and express cruiser. Shadow
Y" was used as a scout boat Can
vas canoes were taken along TO get
into the shallow salt creeks and
nose into the lagOOns for deep en-
frances 10 the muTky swamps where
the hamingo hides. A Bahama guide,
Peter Bannister, VINO had aided Or.
cha pman's party 10 years ago, also
went with the party.
After penetrating to the utmost
navigabIe points with the canoes II
was necessary 10 traverse miles OF
the "swash" or tidal mari marshes
carrying the heavy cameras and mo-
ton picture machines, IN search for
the birds. Woding in the water up
TO the waist. knee deep In the mari
mud. was the daily program, while
binding swarms of mosquitoes COM
PEELED nightly retreats 20 L Apache
anchored several miles of shore,
But the hardships found a worthy
reward when the party came upon
colonies OF several hundred birds.
described by Mr.. LaGorce as IA
flaming mass OF brilliant scarlet
bodies. Jet black beneath the huge
wings. with their long. slender necks
gracefully lowering and raising their
Roman-nosed heads as they sought
beneath the water the tiny spiral
shell known TO scientists as 'Cerith-
ium. upon which the fam!ngO lives
exclusively In its native habitat.
Gather Information.
The expedition gathered much
concerning the life habits of the
famingo. but Of other rare birds and
fish OF the Bahamas. The isolation
OF the naminCo may be sensed from
the fact that the members OF the
party were the first white men 10
land at Mangrove Key in seven
wears. NanErove Key is q small
hamlet presided over by "a crown
commission who Is the only visible
sign OF British authority 10 be found
on an island 90 miles long and 80
wide Because of this isolation
many OF the little known "out is
lands" of the Bahamas only now
and then visited by sponge fishers.
have preserved primitive conditions
that hold secrets Of high value 10
tho naturalist.
Both Colonial Gov. Grant and +.
G. Wells-Durant colonial secretary
OF the Bahamas extended every
courtesy and assistance and were
deeply interested in the results OF
the expedition, especially of the dis
covery which pointed 20 the threat
ened extinction of the hamingo The
Bahama law has protected the
famingo for Is years. hut the
habitat OF the bird is SO far from
settlements that little attention has
been paid 10 the menace Of the
spongers. The party found sponEers
in the act or killing the birds and
a government official swore In Ban
mister. the negro guide. the only
English subject present as a deputy
game warden. and thus brought
about the first arrest Of the kind
ever made.