The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-05-21
ANIMAL GARDEN
Of EDEN
FOUND
Geological Society Explorers
Discover Extraordinary Con-
ditions on Galapagos Isles.
BY ELSIE MCCORMICK,
Coamonnlitan News Service.


NEW YORK, May 21.-New de-
tails regarding the Garden of
Eden" on the Galapagos islands,
where animals of many types chum
together and show no fear whatever
of man, were given today by DIR.
William Beebe, chief of the Zoologi-
cal Society expedition, just returned
from a two-and-a-half-mont trip.
Left 500 miles from the coast OF
Ecuador by q cataclysm that must
have occurred millions Of years ago,
the volcanic Galapagos islands,
show life forms which have become
extinct in all other parts of the
world.
1.-THE animal life of the Galapagos
~ still in the age of reptiles, a
period so exceedingly remote that
II can only be dated by geological
epochs," DR.. Beebe said today. LAS
the islands are not inhabited, ex.
cept for penal settlement. the
animals have never been hunted or
otherwise disturbed"
Thus isolated from the mainland
by some great upheaval of remote
geological history, the animal forms
OF the Galapagos group have not
followed the lines of evolutionary
development marked out elsewhere.
Reptiles are still supreme.
Penguins from Antarctic.
Lizards four feet long and turtles
which bite like a dog and weigh
several hundred pounds each, dom
mate the island life. The expedi-
ton found many reptile genera and
species entirely new to science.
Other interesting inhabitants of
the island are Antarctic penguins,
which had been swept up to the
tropics by a cold ocean current;
and small wild dogs with high.
pitched, soprano banks. These lat.
ter, according to Dr. Beebe, are
probably the descendants of the
pets of buccaneers, who once
raised havoc on the Spanish Maine.
The freedom of the animals from
all fear was the most remarkable
details of life on the island said
DIR. Beebe. 'As soon as we beached
the first boat, duck flew down
Immediately exclaimed that the
island must be populated, because
in all my experiences never saw
q wild duck Of such fearless dis
position. We were soon convinced,
however, that there were no traces
of inhabitants and that the duck
was a bona fide wild specimen.
When we sighted the first three
foot lizard we stalked 1t very
cautiously in order to obtain photo
graphs before it could become
alarmed and scurry away. 1t mere
ly blinked at us, however, and a
moment later we saw an even
larger lizard settled comfortably be-
tween the legs OF the camera and
apparently ENJOYING seeing his
Animals Movie Struck.
The animals of the Galapagos
islands are as movie struck as the
most screen-made flapper of Holly
wood, according to DR.. Beebe.
When we tried to take moving
pictures, animals and birds clustered
around the camera so thickly that
we had trouble getting views of the
particular specimens we wanted"
the expedition leader said.
ITO me, the most amazing demon
etration Of fearlessness was given
by mother sea lion who allowed
us to take her nursing baby from
her to examine it. Instead of show
ing fight, as mother animals always
AV A IACH yOuHS are LuOISSCSu, SLI0
merely looked at me with the fatu-
GUS expression Of a woman at a
baby show whose infant is in the
hands Of the judges.
When we gave the baby back
she took it in her flappers and
continued the interrupted nursing.
When we carried on our search
for eggs, the mother birds watched
us approach without stirring and
let us lift them from the nests.
The penguins merely stood by and
waited for us to capture them"
1t is doubtful whether the ami.
mails brought back for exhibit in
Bronx Park will continue this idyllic
relationship with human beings. A
screened lifeboat full of enormous
lizards was exhibited at the Zoologi.
cal Society garden party, and the
restless reptiles seemed to be the
only guests who were not having
good time.
A huge turtle, reputed to be at
least 300 years old, went on a hun.
ger strike aboard the steam yacht
Mona and died before the expedi-
tion reached New York.