Yardling Experiences Twenty Weeks on Tropic Desert Isle

Five months on a desert island has been the unique experience of Richard Leacock '43, ex-photographer of the Lack Venables expedition to the Galapagos Islands.

The expedition, sponsored by the Royal Society, was established to study the many varieties of finches found on these islands, and nowhere else. The birds had been studied by Darwin, and other scientists, to determine whether they were prehistoric types, or merely unusual hybrids. This expedition, after making a detailed study of the behavior of the birds, concluded that they were an entirely separate species.

Volcanic Islands

"The Galapagos," according to Leacock, "are a miserable group of volcanic islands, covered by scrubby little plants which are so thick and prickly that the interior of the islands is almost impenetrable. The parts of the islands which are not vegetated consist mostly of sunbaked lava, crossed by a network of deep fissures."

Leacock said that the island he was on is inhabited only by a few Scandinavians and a Dutch dancer. It is completely isolated from civilization, except for the one or two yachts which put in each year. The only animals present are wild boars, huge tortoises, and a few mammoth lizards.

Crusoe Business "Tommyrot"

"This Robinson Crusoe business is a lot of tommyrot," he said. "You can't live on a desert island by just plucking fruit off the trees; you've got to work like hell. You can't move anywhere without hacking your way through the bushes. To make a house, you've got to cut the wood, saw it, and plane it. One man has spent well over a year on a hut, and it is barely half finished.

"What the inhabitants need most," he concluded, "is medical care. When we were there, one received a badly smashed head, and we had to sew it up without anesthesia. Fortunately, the skull healed before the loose bones were pushed into the brain. All their teeth are rotting, because they have no dental instruments. I am sending them some as soon as possible."