A GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE JUAN FERNANDEZ ISLANDS I 7 5 



testo cientifico." And the commission made public that, at repeated occasions, 

 the crew — they forgot to add "and officers" — of vessels belonging to the Armada 

 Nacional had possessed themselves of large quantities of chonta trunks — with 

 the assistance of the colonists. (Such is the attitude of the majority of people 

 all over the world that if an individual stands before the last living specimen of 

 a plant or animal, he will grab it, because if he doesn't, someone else will have it.) 



In the 1890's there were no plantations needing protection, but in Johow's 

 opinion the existence of the native forest was jeopardized by the ravages of a 

 parasitic fungus, Antennaria scoriadea Berk. (Limacinia fernandeziana Neger ex 

 Johow), and he feared that it would "concluir poco a poco con la vejetacion de 

 muchas quebradas ". The fungus is still plentiful, but its killing capacity was, as 

 far as I could see, greatly overrated. The commission recommended to make pun- 

 ishable to set the woods on fire, and to enjoin the inhabitants and visitors in 

 need of wood to use only the fallen trunks. If I remember right there later was 

 a regulation that only the maqui could be used for fuel. In the report nothing 

 is said about the damnable habit of visitors to rob the forest of the stately en- 

 demic tree-ferns which, always without success, they tried to plant in their gardens 

 on the mainland. Ermel saw the lifeboats of his ship return laden with young 

 chontas and tree-ferns and looking like gardens afloat. I have witnessed the same 

 traffic myself, but I do not know if it still flourishes — there is a long way now 

 to the young chontas and to the tree-ferns. 



A question if fishing with dynamite ought to be forbidden was answered in 

 the affirmative, but not because it would reduce the fish supply very much — 

 though it is admitted that the demand for fish might be greater in the future — 

 but rather because "la dinamita . . . manejada por personas de poca o ninguna 

 ilustracion, facilmente orijina funestos incidentes . . .". With regard to the langosta 

 no scarcity had made itself felt, but it was recommended to leave it in peace 

 during the breeding season. 



Among the remaining questions, of which many were referred to specialists 

 and not answered by the commission, one is of interest: it was recommended to 

 exterminate the wild dogs and the native buzzards on Masafuera. The motive was 

 to take better care of the goats, still considered to be an important source of 

 meat; the meat is, I admit, very palatable. A bounty was therefore suggested. 

 Nobody will grieve the loss of the wild dogs; they are not good company, but 

 in the case of the buzzard, Buteo erythrojioius exsul, the care for the goats gets 

 in conflict with the interests of science. In his catalogue of the insular Ornis Johow 

 remarks that the "aguiluchos quizas representan una variedad endemica si no una 

 especie distinta de la del continente" — nevertheless he would not hesitate to 

 exterminate it. Had he known the flora of Masafuera better, he would have been 

 less kindly disposed toward the goats. 



Finally the commission underlines the urgent need of regular communications 

 with the mainland with rapid steamers permitting the products of the fishing in- 

 dustry to arrive fresh at their destination. 



Thus the wants and needs were stated, but little was accomplished. The 

 wild dogs on Masafuera were exterminated, but fortunately the buzzard escaped. 



