Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-04-30

PATAGONIA HUNT
RAISES A DOUBT
South American Expedition
Doomed to Failure, Says
Archeologist.
SHOULD S E E. FOSSILS
SHOULD SEEK FOSSILS
Pleslosaurus in Flesh Nonex.
1stcnt, Sir w. Boyd Daw.
kins Asserts.

LONDON. April 29.-British expior-
ers ana scientists arc inclined to
SCOT at tho news from Brazil Of the
expedition In search OF the Plesiosau-
rus-flsh. beast and foul combined.
They have strenuous doubts that any
lake. river or stream In any part Of
tho world Will yield such n ind. and
suggest that the time would be bet
ter spent II an endcavor were made
to find fossilized remains such as
already exist In many museums.
Sir w. Boyd Dawkins, eminent
British Archaeological. fools certain
that tho Brazilian explorers will BIO
unable to set what they are going
after.
Two years ago." he said "a simi-
lar expedition was planned into the
unknown w!!ds OF Africa in search
OF Brontosaurus. gigantic fossil
reptile which was supposed to have
survived In that great continent. 1
pointed out at tho time that tho
whole group OF extinct reptiles to
which IL belongs had not been living
ON earth since the close Of the Sec
opdary period. and that the hope Of
finding II In tho flesh was impos-
siblc. although thero were largo
tracts OF tho African continent as
yet untrodden b. tho white man.
Rivers Already Explored.
The same argument applies to tho
Plesiosaurus. but with greater force.
: In tho nrst place the great rivers
or South America. as we'll AS those
OF the rest OF the world, and all OF
tho seacoast are we'll known to
science. and It !s impossible tina, so
large reptile could have been over
looked. In the second place, ths
H'lcs!osaurus became extinct at
much earlier date in the geological
record than the BrontoEaurus. and
neither Of these creatures could have
n place In existing nature, because
they belong TO period In the his
tory OF ITO on the earth so remote
from tho present ordee OF things IA
TO BIO incalculable In YEARS.
The Plcs!OsauruS, Il swimming
reptile from ten 10 twelve feet in
length. belongs to well-dcnned
stage IN the evolution OF life on the
earth 1t Is abundantly found In the
liassic and ool!tic strata. and can be
;studied In nearly all the principal
museums. 1t presents a modification
OF the rcptilian. feet into paddles, Just
as In the tertiary period OF tho mann
malian feet were modified into the
clippers OF the whale. II inhabited
tho sea coasts and the banks OF the
rivers In Great Britain and the Con-
tinent and disappeared from the face
OF the earth before the close OF the
secondary period. In none OF the
vast numbers OF fossil reptiles found
In the tertiary period are there any
plesiosaura!n characteristics nor are
those to be found In any known liv-
Ing reptile.
Searck Is Hopeless.
Under these circumstance IL
would be well for the members of
the expedition to turn their attention
TO an examination OF the liassic and
oolio rocks In which they may
chance OF find the object OF their
search. instead OF wasting their time
In search which must be fruitless
"It Is. OF course. true that there is
room for discovery OF strange AMI
mails in wilds hitherto UNEMPLOYED. In
Africa, for example, the okapi, half
giraffe. half-antelope. has been add
ed to our knowledge. And in the
depths OF the seas. there is evidence.
from the accounts of sailors and