Evening star., 1939-01-01
BY RICHARD ARCHBOLD.

Stuuy " HuHLWtulS, OUuS ana
plants in Dutch Ne1u Guinea.
BY RICHARD ARCHBOLD.
HOLLANDIA, Netherlands New
Guinea, Dec. 81 (NANAJ (By
Wireless) Would you like to hear
of land where the rats grow 3 feet
long and where kangaroos climb
trees?
That is Netherlands New Guinea,
where an American Museum of Nat
ural History expedition is probing q
wilderness rarely before entered by
white men, land of strange animals
and birds and plants and aborigines
who have developed an amazingly
advanced system of agriculture.
We have captured some of the
largest-if not actually the largest
rats in the world, at Lake Habbema,
the giant inland water body 2 miles
above sea level, and just below it,
near the headwaters of the Belle
River.
Unclassified Species.
We believe it to be an entirely
new, unclassifaed species. House.
holders who are annoyed with the
average size rat will be startled at
the bulk of our Gargantuan speci-
mems, which measure from nose to
tip of the tail over feet.
No ordinary rat is this creature.
Here is mammal formidable enough
to hold his own in danger-infested
jungle regions-an alert, powerful
animal.
1t possesses massive skull, thick,
Woolly fur and skulks six to eight
inches from the ground. BY the
stomach contents of those we have
captured, we have learned that they
live on green vegetable matter,
vigorously and thoroughly chewed,
though We have as yet been unable
to identify the tree which provides
their food.
The tail is of the same length as
the head and body-that is, about l8
inches long, and this agile animals
leg muscles are we'll developed, max
ing it an excellent climber. It's head
is characterized by short, power
full jaw.
Band of Gray Circles Body.
Although the general body color
ing ranges from a near black to
grayish white. a distinct and strik-
ing feature is a three-inch band
of whitish gray which encircles the
middle of the animal. adding to an
appearance which would be con-
sidered fantastic by people used to
civilized" rats.
The tree-climbing kangaroos are
honey, fairly tame creatures, whom
you might consider ideal pets if
you were looking for an unusual
animal companion. AS matter of
fact, the II specimens we have are
virtually the only live animals in
the base camp at Hollandia, on the
New Guinea seacoast, and we'd
probably have a hard time getting
rid OF them now-they have a
tendency to run after us when we
try to get away from them.
Although the scientist generally
abhors the word cute" that might
be the easiest way to describe them.
These unique fellows are 5 to s
feet overall length and come from
the slopes of the Cyclop Mountains,
just behind Hollandia.
Given Freedom of Camp.
We let them wander freely around
camp and they require surprisingly
little care, eating almost anything
but preferring corn and rice: man
aging to keep healthy with a mini
mum OF exercise; making no noise
and in general minding their own
business. They will fight on provo
cation, however, and if you fail to
hold them securely when you pick
them up they'll try to bite you, but
they can't inflict much damage even
when they're maddest.
This rare kangaroo actually climbs
trees, copying the technique of the
New Guinea natives-that is. reach
ing up with their front paws first,
then hoisting themselves as the
rear paws follow. And they can
leap from surprising heights.
We consider these two unusual
finds alone worthy of the occasional
hardships and discomforts one en-
counters in tapping a tropical will
derness of its rich natural treasures.
However, not only in the discovery
OF new species, but in obtaining hun
dreds of specimens to provide an
American museum with a repre-
sentative collection of known ami
mails, birds and plants, has the
expedition been engaged in during
the last half year.
(Copyright. 1898. by North American
Newspaper Alliance. Inc)