Evening star., 1940-04-16
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study

In Field, Laboratory
And Study
BY Thomas r. Henry.
Between the Meta and vichada
Rivers in Eastern Colombia lies an al
most unexplored and uninhabited never
never land along whose western edges
is developing new "last frontier" where
ways of life of the old Wild West re-
appear with the coming OF the cattle
men.
1t is region at least 100000 square
miles In area. Hills with dry, fiat tops
a mile wide are interspersed with deep,
wide valleys. where grass grows feet
high and is so dense that it Is difficult
to push ones way through the tangle
Through the land flow forest lined
tributaries of the two rivers, which
in turn flow into the Orinoco. The
explorer breaks through the grass upon
gigantic anthills, as much as 6 feet
high and 20 feet in diameter and acres
upon acres of sharp pointed, 4-feet- high
termite hills. The land is a paradise
for the anteaterS
The valleys, at least, are we'll watered
and fertile, says o. L. Haught, Standard
OIL co. geologlst and plant collector for
the Smithsonian Institution, who is one
OF the few Americans familiar with this
hidden land, where riversides are
fragrant with strange orchids and whose
nights are luminous with the flashing
OF fantastic insects. Among the latter
is an enormous beetle with two red
headlights and one green taillight as
we'll as rows of portfolio lights along
each side.
There are scattered villages OF agri-
cultural Indians along the streams.
Elsewhere there are wandering tribes of
almost ghostlike Indians who have no
settled abode and are seldom seen by
white men. They represent, Mr.. Haught
believes, nearly the lowest cultural stage
OF any New World people. They are
tlmld folks who fly into hiding at the
approach OF white men-especially if
the visitors carry surveying instruments
which the nomads consider bad and
powerful magic weapons
Although the richness of the region
generally is recognized, Mr. Haught SAYS,
settlement there has been practically
impossible in the past because of mac
cessibilty and the hostility of these
wraithlike nomads against intruders.
The cnllntry iS hocf tol
raising. The Indians are adept at killing
the stock and setting fire to ranch
houses. From time immemorial they
have had the custom of setting grass
fires during the dry season. These have
swept the broad, dry hilltops, but
seldom have been able to clean out the
valleys. 1t is for this reason, he be-
lieves, that vegetation is so sparse in
the high places and so luxurious in the
loWlands.
But now, he says. civilization is
spreading out beyond the last frontier. e"
At the western edge is the boom town
of Villavicencio, which now has about
10000 inhabitants and in many ways
resembles the old cattle towns of the
United States. The cattle ranches now
are spreading out from Villavicencio on
all sides. The interior of the country
still remains essentially uninhabited by
white men. Nobody penetrates it un-
armed. Hidden in the valleys or wander
ing with the Indian tribes may be found
occasional refugees from all over the
earth, secure from pursuit in the mac
cessible land.
Only the courses of the rivers, the
geologist says, have been thoroughly
mapped up to date. A few miles away
from the streams and the explorer is
in unknown country where, it is very
likely, no white men ever has been before.
For the observer on the ground, he
stresses, it is not particularly colorfui
country but is seen to its best advan-
tages, with its interspersed plains, arid
hills and narrow lines of luxurious
forest, from an airplane This is the
only means of rapid exploration.
A little to the south of the land of
grass Is the even less explored selva-
thousands of square miles of dense, un-
broken, luxuriant forest. The flyer
passing over it sees a crown Of orchid
tinted treetops $50 feet high through
which one can scarcely discern the
courses of mighty rivers.
Mr. Haught himself has been chiefly
concerned in exploring the two regions
for oil but has occupied his spare time
in plant collecting. The real agricul-
tural wealth of the country, he believes,
has barely been scratched and many of
the trees, fruits and flowers are un-
known to botanists. One of the most
Impressive features of the country, he
says, is the enormous variety of plant
life, especially in the jungle stretches.
In all the Appalachians, he says, there
are probably 80 to 40 generally recognized
varieties of trees, while nearly anywhere
in this region it would be possible to
recognize about the same number in a
| few acres.
The plains region, he says, is relatively
free of dangerous animals. Besides the
great anteaters there are pumas and
ocelots and those giant rodents. the
capybaras. These he describes as
guinea pigs big as sheep.
Opposes Alaskan
Refugee Plan.