136 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LVI, No. 1440 



cruise among' the islands off the west coast of 

 Lower California. The expedition has been 

 made possible through the cooperation of the 

 Mexican government with a number of Amer- 

 ican institutions, including the California 

 Academy of Sciences, the San Diego Museum 

 of Natural History, the Scripps Institution 

 for Biological Eesearch, the National Geo- 

 graphic Society, and the Committee on Con- 

 servation of Marine Life of the Pacific of the 

 Pacific Division of the American Association 

 for the Advancement of Science, functioning 

 under authority of the Committee on Pacific 

 Investigations of the Division of Foreign Ee- 

 lations of the National Eesearch Council. 



The Committee on Conservation of Marine 

 Life of the Pacific, of which Dr. Barton W. 

 Evermann, director of the Museum of the Cali- 

 fornia Academy of Sciences, is chairman, has 

 for several months been planning this expedi- 

 tion, but not until recently were funds forth- 

 coming to meet the expense. When the matter 

 was placed before the Mexican government it 

 very generously proposed not only to detail 

 their fishery guard boat Tecate for the pur- 

 pose, but also to accept as their guests the 

 naturalists whom the American institutions de- 

 sired to send on the expedition. The National 

 Geographic Society, always alert to the possi- 

 bilities of increasing geographic knowledge, 

 became interested in the expedition and has 

 liberally contributed to the fund for meeting 

 the cost of the cruise. With such material aid 

 from these two sources, the proposed expedi- 

 tion has become a reality. 



The Mexican government is represented by 

 Sr. Carlos Cuesta Terron, professor of herpe- 

 tology and biology in the Museo Nacional de 

 Historia Natural de Mexico; Sr. Jose Maria 

 Gallegos, professor of mammalogy and botany 

 in the same institution; Captain Victor Angulo 

 of the Tecate; Sr. Jose Eubio, taxidermist; 

 Sr. Gonzales, inspector of fisheries; and Sr. 

 Eodolpho Lazcano, inspector of lighthouses. 

 Professor Terron will be in general charge of 

 the expedition. 



The California Academy of Sciences is rep- 

 resented by Dr. G. Dallas Hanna, curator of 

 paleontology and secretary of the Committee 

 on Conservation of Marine Life of the Pacific; 



Joseph E. Slevin, assistant curator of herpe- 

 tolog}"^, and Frank Tose, chief taxidermist. 



The San Diego Museum of Natural History 

 sends A. W. Anthony, curator of vertebrates, 

 and Ernest Hinkley, assistant; and P. S. Barn- 

 hart represents the Scripps Institution for 

 Biological Eesearch. 



Messrs. Hanna and Anthony will be in im- 

 mediate charge of the scientific investigations. 



The primary purpose of the expedition is to 

 make investigations to determine as fully as 

 may be the present abundance and condition 

 of the southern fur seal, southern sea otter, 

 and elephant seal in the- localities visited. It 

 is known that each of those three important 

 and valuable marine mammals was at one time 

 quite common not only about the islands off 

 Lower California but also about the islands on 

 the California coast as far north as the Faral- 

 lons. Eeeords believed trustworthy show that 

 in the years 1808 to 1811, more than 203,000 

 fur seals were taken on the Farallon Islands, 

 besides many thousands on the Channel 

 Islands, Cedros, and other islands off the coast 

 of Lower California. Eeeords also show that 

 the southern sea otter was at one time very 

 abundant in the great kelp beds about these 

 same islands, more than 22,000 having been 

 taken prior to 1806. The elephant seal was 

 once abundant on Guadalupe Island and on 

 other islands on this coast. 



It is generally believed that each of these 

 interesting animals is now extinct or nearly 

 so; but certain recent discoveries show that at 

 least small remnants of each of the three spe- 

 cies still exist. It is the purpose of this expe- 

 dition to find out the facts in so far as is pos- 

 sible and place them before the State Depart- 

 ments of the United States and Mexican gov- 

 ernments in the hope that the necessary steps 

 may be taken by the two governments through 

 an international treaty for the adequate pro- 

 tection of these valuable natural resources. 



The scientists of this expedition will avail 

 themselves of the exceptional opportunities for 

 making a general survey of the fauna and fiora 

 and geology of the islands visited. They will 

 be equipped for making collections in various 

 branches of natural history, particularly in 

 birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, shells, botany 



