The Coolidge examiner., 1933-08-25

| Prepared by National Geographic Society.
Washington, D. C.-WNU Service.
A BRITISH expedition recently
~ explored a new region-a re-
gion among the treetops OF
100 to 200 feet forest giants in Brit
ish Guiana.
Here, indeed, was a place worth
every effort to investigated roll
ing, wind-tossed sea of green ex-
tending for several thousand square
miles, and teeming with a life which
was biologically unknown. Lured
by its promises, a group of men de-
cided to examine an area of forest
on the right bank of the EsseQuibo
river.
They were equipped with variety
OF climbing apparatus, such as line
shooting machines and rocket-fring
guns for propelIing ropes over high
branches, thousands Of feet of cord
age for making hauling construc-
tions, pulleys for use in block and
tackle, iron spikes for building spike
ladders, and wooden scaling ladders
capable of extension. Long-range
spray pumps were procured for
shooting poisons at insect warriors
that would obstruct invasion of
their homeland
The area selected was ideal for
a survey; for it was as nearly
primeval forest as could be found.
Here everything was in an unal-
tered state, with all the trees in
their natural associations, as they
had no doubt existed for a thousand
| years or more.
The forest was composed of tall,
| straight trees. Some were monsters.
with broad buttressed bases which,
like pillars, supported the overhead
roof. The vast majority, however,
were of smaller size, crowded to-
gether by thousands, all competing,
struggling, joStling with one another
In their efforts to get their heads
into the tree-roof. Every tree exam
ined was perfectly straight. Hard
ly one had a branch until near the
canopy. where, at a height of about
20 feet, occurred division into a
simple fork.
Bush ropes of every degree of
thickness spread about in this thick
ct of straight poles. Some swung
across in pendant loops, or hung
down like loose, swinging cordage i;
others twisted themselves round the
great tree trunks in strangling, ser
pentine coils. Moses, epiphytes.
lichens, and ferns crowded the
trunks and high branches in trop-
ical profusion. Overhead the tree
tops made a green roof, and the
fallen vegetation covered the floor
with thick. soft carpet of mold.
Formed a Roof With Windows.
Throughout the forest were gilt
tering lights, bright spots, streaks,
and luminous patches, where shafts
Of sunlight, breaking through the
roof, were reflected from the under
lying foliage as from a multitude
of suspended mirrors. On every side
was the richest fertility; and, con-
trastingly, in the PROSTATE trunks
and rotting leaf mold was equal evil
dence of death and decay. The 81
lence, the gloom, the stiffness, the
luxuriance were most impressive.
The oval-shaped heads of the
trees came close to one another
and interlaced their branches, and
creepers and bush ropes linked them
together TO form a sort of roof,
though not such a perfect thatch
as books on equatorial forests often
lead one to imagine. In places the
tree crowns stood out somewhat sep
arately. The sky was by no means
completely hidden. Here and there
were windows, skylights in the can
opy, through which the sunlight
streamed lacelike to illuminate the
cellar" floor.
From the ground one could catch
only passing glimpses of the life in
the foliage. Monkeys went crash
ing through it now and then. The
larger birds, such as parrots and
toucans, were seen here and there,
splashes of color in it's shadows.
Smaller songsters were evident only
by their voices, for in the gloom it
was difficult to locate bird through
the mass Of foliage. Occasionally,
with powerful glasses one might see
through a canopy window a lofty
tree covered with blossoms, about
which fitted bright butterflies.
The expeditions knowledge of
that zone of life was confined to
what a gun could bring down from
it for museum purposes. OF the
intimate lives of it's birds and NAM
mails it is fair to say that biol
ogists knew very little; and, so far
as it's smaller fauna was concerned,
it's reptiles, insects, arachnids, and
other creatures, the expedition was
amost in complete ignorance.
One soon finds how easy it is to
get lost in the forest. On account
of the sameness of the vegetation on
every side and the absence of both