The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-03-09
TELLS OF TRAVELS
IN SOUTH AMERICA
George X Cherrie of Newfane. Com
nanion of Col Roosevelt ON Trip
to WiIds. Talks in Boston

George X. Cherrie of Newfane. the nat
uralist and explorer who accompanied
col Roosevelt on the South American trip
when the River of Doubt was discovered.
spoke i'm the lecture hall of the Natural
History Museum on Berkeley street, BoS-
ton. last evening lie told about his ex-
pcriences bird hunting in the vast FL
Chaco country. back of Paraguay. and in
the Motto GrasSo country in western
Brazil.
\ modest middeaged. medimum-sizcd,
rather thin man with gray hair and nous
tache and a soft voice-Such a man as
You might find behind a bank counter or
in n counting hauSe-iS George X
Cherrie. says the Boston Globe today
In evening dress he doesn't look much
like "A hunter of pumas and iaguars. but
a. he talks and laughs about his eXpC-
rieHces YOU very quickly become conscious
of the fact that he is the real thing. and
the type Of man Col. Roosevelt liked
keen. cool. intelligent and fearless.
The FL Chaco country, in the heart of
South America. in the wet season is
Horass of 100000 square miles or so--it
has never been eXplored-lying betweenI
Argentina, Paraguay. Bolivia and Brazil.
and more or less of it claimed by each.
The water. which is three or four feet
deep in the wet season. recedeS IN the dry
season into few lakes leaving the larger
part of the country vast plain for the !
by wooded ridges and hills in which are
many wild animals, birds and reptiles. /
The fish swarm over the country in the |
wet season and retire with the waters |
during the dry season to the ponds and |
lakes. which become literally choked |
with them, attracting such water fowl as |
the ibis. the heron and jabiru. In some
places the fish are left high and dry and
hundreds of thousands of them die. at |
tracing the vultures and condorS There
are great ranches on the edge of Ell Chaco. |
Mr.. Cherrie mentioned one a. large as the
state of New Jersey. on which great herds
of cattle are raised and killed
In the country he had a great chance
10 study the jobiru-a stork about five
feet in height-the greatest fier in the
world. He can soar into the sky out of
sight of human vision.
Mr.. Cherrie showed some interesting
slides of the country, the natives the
cattle. the wild animals and birds.
lie showed a picture of an enormous
boa constructor and said that in his travels
in South America-and he has been in
every one of the South American coun-
tries-he has had no trouble with venom
Gus reptiles: in fact he said there are
more venomous reptiles in several of the
| nited States than in the whole of South
America The boa constructor Is not
given TO attacking human beings. IIej
never saw a boa more than 30 feet long.
He told some interesting experiences
with iaguarS. pumaS and ant eaters. Thet
only time he was ever attacked by a Wild
animal was when a giant ant eater came
after him in the Matte GraSSo country
He thought the giant was fOoling and heI
backed away from him, but as the latter
kept coming with mouth open and kissing
Mr.. Cherrie thought matters had gone far
enough and he put a bullet into him.
Back in the FL Chaco country there
are natives Of a very low order. among +
whom until recently it was the custom for :
the eldest son to kill the father and mother !
when the latter got too old to work or be
IF much use in the family.
aud Gen. 0rlanO-- Of Brazil with their I
kill" at the end of days hunting in the \
Matte Grasso. somewhere near the River a
II Doubt.