| Show Galapagos Group May Have Connected With the Central American Mainland Although the 12 large and several hundred small islands of the archipelago archipelago archi archi- pelago are almost due west from the coast of Ecuador at a distance of miles mUes the Galapagos group is believed once to have been connected connect connect- ed with the Central American main mainland land The native birds of the islands Island are more closely related to Central American species than to the nearer South American variety observes a writer In tn the Kansas City Star Equally well linked are the shore fish and the land plants The nearest nearest nearest near near- est relatives of the giant Galapagos tortoises are found in fossil form In Cuba Discovered by Spanish navigators in the Sixteenth century only three islands ever have been utilized these as 81 convict stations Warships pirates whalers and buccaneers have visited the Isolated group on occasions but scientists have been the most frequent visitors It was wasat wasat wasat at the Galapagos that Charles Darwin Darwin Dar Dar- Darwin win collected much of his data on the insular finches which helped produce produce produce pro pro- duce his famed work on the Origin of the Species and the theory of evolution Biologists in fact always have favored the Galapagos because a great many of its animal and plant forms are peculiar to the Islands alone Thus it is estimated that 90 96 per cent cf of the reptiles are unique Similarly 37 31 per cent of all species of shore fish and 40 per cent of the plants are characteristic of the tho Is Is lands The shores shore of the larger Galapagos Gala pago islands are low but in the interior craters of volcanoes some dead and others still active rise to feet The name of the islands comes from the tho Spanish word spelled the same way meaning tortoise which has evolved on the islands that struck the eye and mind of the the original discoverers Thousands upon upon up up- on thousands of these tortoise have been killed for tor food for oil and mans man's other wants until many many of ot the tha 15 known species peculiar to the tha Galapagos now are virtually ex ex- |
