OUR HOUSE-BOAT CRUISING IN THE FLOODED FOREST OF GATUN LAKE 



It was because of the flooding of the Gatun and Chagres valleys by the huge dam at the 

 Gatun locks, thus causing abrupt changes in the faunal conditions, that an expedition was 

 undertaken. The house-boat formed the base camp, from which trips were made by launch 

 or small boat, sometimes along rivers which heretofore have been inaccessible, owing to 

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

 mosquitoes (see page 165). 



when using the interior waterways for 

 travel, employ the dug-out, or caynca, in 

 which they are experts in poling or pad- 

 dling the swiftest of streams (see page 

 163). On the first coming of the lake it 

 was easy to reach the construction towns 

 along the shore in boats heavily laden 

 with fruits and other products, but as 

 the waters rose and the wind and waves 

 began to interfere it was discovered that 

 not one among them all knew how to 

 handle a canoe safely under such condi- 

 tions, so that now the lake is paddled in 

 the stillness of the night or by dodging 

 in and out through .the flooded forests 

 near the shore. 



Eventually: however, skilled canoemen 

 will be able to buffet the waves, and then 

 this picturesque craft will be seen from 

 the great steamers gliding across the 

 white-tipped surface, so seemingly insig- 

 nificant to ships that have just come in 



from the turbulent waters of adjacent 



seas. 



DOOMED TO STOW STARVATION 



Probably in no other country is there 

 such an interesting area continuously 

 covered with deep, still waters, where 

 much of the original timber is standing. 

 Here one can find trees slowly dying, 

 with great pendant termite nests filled 

 with restless ant-like creatures, isolated 

 and doomed to slow starvation (see page 

 .166). 



Here are trees that died on the first 

 coming of the flood and others green and 

 apparently vigorous, with roots and 

 trunks under water for several years. 

 On the decaying branches are many 

 beautifully colored orchids — tillandsias, 

 ferns, vines, and mosses — replacing for 

 a time the lost foliage and tropic blooms, 

 while upright stumps and floating logs 



162 



