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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



This flooding of ground formerly high 

 and dry, it was anticipated, would drive 

 many animals to seek new homes or 

 might even threaten some of the more 

 restricted, lowland-living animals with 

 extermination. Incidentally many of 

 the islands and ridge crests left above 

 water might have a concentrated fauna 

 driven there from the adjacent flooded 

 localities. Other phases of the question 

 dealing with the newly created lake, were 



vestigation, it was planned to work from 

 a house boat as a base camp with a 

 launch and small boats for side trips. 

 Accordingly a boathouse was made over 

 by a few alterations, but only after 

 considerable time had been spent in 

 trying to secure something available for 

 the purpose. The house boat was so 

 low in the water that she could be towed 

 only in a calm sea, a condition of the 

 lake only rarely met with, and at the best 



It was because of the flooding of the Gatun Lake basin by the huge dam at the Gatun lociis, 

 thus causing abrupt changes in the faunal conditions, tliat an expedition under the patronage of 

 Mr. George Shiiras, 3d, was undertalien. The liouse-boat formed the base camp from which trips 

 were made by launch or small boat, sometimes along rivers wliich heretofore have been inaccessible 

 owing to shallow water. The house-boat had sides of cheese cloth and copper screen to keep out 

 mosquitoes 



the wiping out of the lowland forests by 

 submergence, the rise of new aquatic 

 flora such as the water hyacinth, and 

 the probable inhabitation of the lake 

 by water birds. Such were some of the 

 items in the purpose of the expedition 

 and we were equipped to take advantage 

 of these new conditions if the foregoing 

 assumptions proved correct. 



As Gatun Lake was the center of in- 



the launch could make but slow time 

 pulling her. Late afternoon of March 6 

 saw us leaving Gatiin with the house 

 boat and by three o'clock the next morn- 

 ing we were tied up at the head of a 

 water-way or trocha that branched off 

 from the Rio Trinidad. This was our 

 main camp and we hoped to be able to 

 work the undisturbed jungle from here. 

 Unfortunately, a plantation near by, a 



