ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 
41 
of White person wants to know—too much, and 
so is dangerous and one to be watched. Still, 
since he already knows something, one can risk 
asking him for the ceremonial things that are 
growing so rare—turtle shells, little bells, aba- 
lone shells, and, most of all, parrot feathers. 
Were it not for the Research Station in British 
Guiana those reiterated requests for parrot 
feathers would have had to go unheeded. As it 
is, thanks to the understanding and sympathetic 
director of the Station, more than one pious and 
venerable Old Man has been excessively grati¬ 
fied, and in more than one extremely suspicious 
and secretive community the work of at least 
one anthropologist facilitated. 
TROPICAL RESEARCH STATION 
The Williams Galapagos Expedition 
On March 1st, the Seventh Expedition of the 
Dept, of Tropical Research of the New York 
Zoological Society will leave New York. This 
has been undertaken at the suggestion and 
through the generosity of Mr. Harrison 
Williams. He has chartered the 250-foot steam 
yacht Noma, and has asked William Beebe to 
take charge of the scientific work of the trip. 
The plan is to leave New York and proceed 
with as little delay as possible to the Panama 
Canal, and on through into the Pacific. Here a 
course will be laid for the Galapagos Islands, 
on the equator, 600 miles off the coast of 
Equador. 
During the time available, constant dredging 
and trawling will be carried on, and as careful 
a study as possible made of the present condi¬ 
tions of the fauna and flora of these mysterious 
volcanic islands. Among the most interesting 
forms of life known to inhabit the Galapagos 
are sea elephants, fur seals, penguins, flightless 
cormorants, huge marine lizards and giant land 
tortoises. If reports be true and the tortoises 
appear to be threatened witli immediate extinc¬ 
tion from constant inroads by the few inhabitants 
and ruthless crews of schooners, an attempt will 
be made to have these islands made into a 
preserve. 
Thanks to the keen interest and generosity of 
Mr. Williams, a very complete outfit has been 
assembled for photographing (both stationary 
and moving pictures) painting, gathering living 
collections, and preserving material for future 
study. 
The staff will consist of the following persons: 
Harrison Williams, Patron and in charge of 
Ichthyology; William Beebe, Director of Scien¬ 
tific Work; Robert McKay, Navigation and 
Meteorological Records; James Curtis, Dredg¬ 
ing and Diving; William Merriam, Chief 
Hunter; Harry Hoffman, Marine Artist; Dr. 
James Mitchell, Physician; Dr. Frobisher, As¬ 
sistant Physician, and in charge of Reptiles; 
John Tee-Van, Photography and Supplies; 
Isabel Cooper, Scientific Artist; Ruth Rose, 
Records, Catalogues, and Live Collections; 
Gilbert Broking, Artist and General Prepara- 
teur; Walter Escherich, Taxidermist. 
* * * 
On Board S. Y. Noma, March 8, 1923: We 
are anchored in the harbour of Key West, hav¬ 
ing just taken on board our physician, Dr. 
James Mitchell of Washington, who came down 
and met us here. We have had a slow, rough 
trip, but every bit of it interesting, and we are 
now impatient to get to work. Tomorrow we 
steam to Havana for 90 gallons of alcohol and 
then direct to Panama. 
I have rigged the boatswain’s seat low down 
near the water over the bowsprit and have 
caught some curious fish and other organisms 
in the gulf weed which Miss Cooper is now 
painting. I even shot two interesting birds on 
board the deck in early morning, and the syrinx 
of one, a Chuck-wills-widow, is already dis¬ 
sected and drawn. So we are missing no op¬ 
portunities. 
Everyone has fitted in well together and 
made the best of the weird things which have 
happened. One very rough night we shipped 
a solid four feet of water, and were drenched 
in our berths, hut fortunately no harm was 
done to our instruments or books. 
As soon as we leave Havana we shall begin 
to slow up or stop when anything worth while 
is sighted, and should be able to collect some 
good things en route. 
This afternoon we caught two shark-suck¬ 
ing fish or remoras from the boat, and this eve¬ 
ning I read and discussed the problems of the 
adaptation of structures to wholly different 
ends, as the change from the anterior dorsal fin 
to the sucking disk. By doing this, while the 
creature under consideration is still alive or has 
just been killed, the effect is very striking and 
vivid and arouses and holds interest much more 
than reading of the things in general which 
may be seen next week. How I wish you or 
Gregory could be here so I would not have to 
give a monologue. I am hoping to get Dr. Wil¬ 
liam Norton Wheeler at Panama. 
Sif/ned, (William Beebe). 
— 
ITEMS OF INTEREST 
An Old-Fashioned Winter .—This has been a 
winter of record snowfall. To the end of 
February, the total in snow precipitation was 
close to seven feet, and March may add ma¬ 
terially to the season’s precipitation. Temper¬ 
ature changes, as a rule, have not been excessive 
and on a general average the winter may be 
considered as moderately cold, with rather short 
mild “waves” and prolonged periods of tem- 
