IN UNKNOWN AUSTRALIA

Evening Star, Issue 17927, 24 March 1922, Page 6

IN UNKNOWN AUSTRALIA

ADVENTURES OF SCIENTISTS. Lost in the loneliness of the desolate southern coast of Australia is an archipelago of granite islands known as the Recherche Group. These islands and islets lie on the western edge of the Great Australian Right, 200 miles cast of Albany, with the port of Espernnce on the mainland about twenty miles north of the group. Over these granite cliffs the lingo rollers of the Bight smash in spray 100 ft high, and woe betide the mariner who ventures too near these 160 deathtraps. The whole area is a mass of islands and reels, with dangerous passages between. And the group, though lying now far out from the trade routes of the southern seas, has taken its grim toll of wrecks. Flinders in his tiny Investigator found these islands in 1802, ventured through the terrible channels, landed on some of the islands, and charted what lie could of the group. Lie found no water. Vet the soundings ho took proved valuable when gold was found at ivalgoorlie. Esperanco was the port from which the miners reached the fields, as there, was no communication then with Perth. And _in those days Esperanco lived up to its name. It was a bustling little port of hone. But this deathtrap at the door of Esperanto lay in wait for the little ships that carried the . minors. And to-day on many of the islands there can bo seen the remains of the wrecks of vessels that have corno to grief since those stirring days. Tho most recent shipwreck in the group was that of tho V est Australian State trawler Penguin, whoso bones lie high and dry on one of tho islands. Recently two men wore sent down to salvo the boilers of tho trawler. They landed with a sack of flour, and nothing has been heard of them since. _ iho steamer that calls at infrequent intervals. at Esperanco—for the glory of Esperanco has departed—signalled this island, and. got no icsponsc. It is one of the most easterly of tho islands, seventy miles away. On his return to Esperanco the captain notified tho authorities, and. a sailing boat set out in the hope of rescuing tho marooned mon. And. Esperanco is anxiously awaiting its return. . It iTtuY kooin fin easy task, j hut in. these seas tho weather is so uniformly bad that even if tho men arc alive there would bo tho greatest difficulty in landing on tho island and taking thorn off. It was into this dangerous region that a party of scientists ventured ip a 24ft sailing bout in search of specimens of flora and fauna. Tho expedition was organised and financed by Mr H. C. White, of Bolltnces Now South Wales, one of tho few good Australians who emulate tho American millionaires as patrons of scientific research. From the many “ finds ” that resulted Mr White is making generous and most valuable gifts to the Australian Museum.

Tho loader of the expedition was Mr A. F. Basset-Hull, honorary ornithologist at the Sydney Museum, who brilliantly proved Ids capabilities of leadership under tho most adverse weather conditions,/and brought hack in triumph (says tho Sydney ' Sun ’) a collection which it is confidently anticipated will include _ marine shells (chitons) new to science and rare species of animals. Mr H. S. Grant, chief taxidermist at tho Museum, and his assistant, Mr J. i;L Wrinht, domplotecljiie party*.

LIVING MASS Ob' RATS.

The party readied Espcrance by tha Government steamer EuciaJ the skipper of which is accustomed to traverse this practically uncharted group, and find liis way along unlightcd coasts in all weathers by dead reckoning. The southern coast of the Bight is a pano- . rama of granite cliffs and buttresses, with lines of white granite sand, a lonely coast facing for hundreds of miles a raging sea that reaches to th® , Antarctic ice-ilocs. With his watch a* | a guide lie dodges the reefs and find* i the channels through 200 miles- of the ■ Recherche Group. Among those islands there are islands of doath-addors and islands of rata. In what may bo called Death-Adder Island these reptiles were everywhere. How did they got there? In one. of the rat-infested islands the party landed and sot traps. “ The runways and channels made by the rats were everywhere scon in the thick grass,” said Mr Grant. “lb was a living mass of rats. We set many traps, for we wanted to determine tho species; and all through tho night wo heard Hie continual 1 click-click’ of tho rat traps.”

A gigantic cowl seal was found lying on tho sloping granite, and despatched with one shot. But having shot the seal the difficulty was to get it—“ tho tide was making, and it was a race between us and the tide,” said Mr Grant. “ Mountainous seas wore running, it was bitterly cold, and the only method of lauding is to run the dinghy up on the big surges and jump—usually into a mass of slippery black seaweed. It took fourteen attempts with the dinghy before one of us got ashore, and one man just saved his life by clutching two barnacles. Once Iho dinghy was left stranded on a lodge of rock, but the following big surge set ns alloc I; again. We skinned that seal anklo , deep in water, then tied ropes to the. heavy skin and pulled it through, the surf to the dinghy.” ' Two more cowl seals were also obtained on that island. Tho big fellow was an “ old man ” seal, with a lino white mane. He will appear later in tho Museum mounted in an appropriate realistic, tableau. He measured Oft Gin. There was a chance to got a baby seal, hut the scientists refrained. Tho parents protected it and caressed it as tho party approached; and, as Mr Grant says, "we hadn’t tho heart to shoot tho child.” Often tho scientists were prevented by tho awful weather from continuing their explorations. In their tiny boat once it took thirteen hours to do thirteen miles, and once they sailed for eight hours to do four miles. In going through a passage a mile m length and a quarter of a mile in width between two of tho islands tbo boat had to lack nine times. Tho party stayed a night on ono of tho big islands, and secured a big bag of snakes, frogs, and li/.aro.s, some of'’which are proDably now and certainly rare. There was ono lucky capture, that of a pair of Cape Barren goose. _ Tho party bad not eaten anything since 4 a m." and there was nothing left but the skins of those huge . birds _ whan din nor was finished. No Christmas goose had a better flavor to these famished scientists. In a seven day-’ cruise tho party insnectod forty of Dio islands, and investigated many more* A wonderful collection of fish was secured. The whole haul is now safe at tho Svdncy Museum, and the specimens havo becn handed over to tho various departments for classification.