"LESS DANGER IN LIBERIA THAN HARVARD SQUARE"

Harvard Square is more dangerous than the wilds of Liberia", stated Dr. G. M. Allen '01, professor of zoology and curator of mammals at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at the University in an interview with a Crimson reporter. Dr. Allen recently returned from Liberia where he spent four months as a member of the expedition headed by Dr. R. P. Strong '16 of the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Allen is the only member of the expedition which left last May, who has yet returned. The other members of the party are making their way across the continent to the East Coast. When last heard from they were in the Congo.

Dangers Exaggerated

"People greatly exaggerate the dangers of the tropical countries. They seem to think they are swarming with poisonous snakes and vicious insects. All one has to do is use common sense," continued Dr. Allen. "It was however quite difficult to get around. We had to do all our travelling on foot over the narrow rough paths which wind through the dense tropical forests. There are little villages mere clusters of straw huts scattered throughout the interior of Liberia. Our native porters did not want to leave their own villages too far behind so we had to hire a different set of servants at almost every town.

Greeted Like Circuses

"Our arrival in the hamlets was received much as the children greet circuses in our small towns. After much gaping staring and laughter the chiefs most of them nice old fellows would step forward to greet us. An exchange of presents was the usual token of friendship. They are extremely fond of tobacco down there in fact so much so that it is used as currency the value being determined by the size of the heads. We carried a tremendous supply with us for trading purposes.

We were fortunate enough to be there during the wet season. The average annual rainfall in the western part of Liberia is 150 inches; you can well imagine what a thick tropical forest is like after these rains."

Dr. Allen has brought back with him a large collection of specimens of all sorts. He has a tremendous number of small animals and birds of various shapes and colors. One of his most interesting specimens is a skin of a pangolin a very odd variety of ant eater. It is a toothless beast which lives on ants and similar insects, devouring them with its long tongue. Some of them grow to six feet in length. There is also a small variety. The animals shape strongly resembles a rather distorted and enlarged cigar which has grown a head and legs.