http://www.naturalis.nl/get?site=naturalis.nl&view=naturalis.nl&id=i001555 After a pleasant flight we arrived on Mauritius. At the moment we are settling ourselves in our 'base camp', the Mon Trésor and Mon Désert buildings. Our first tasks the coming days are to mark and sheet-piling the excavation spot. After ar... http://www.naturalis.nl/get?site=naturalis.nl&view=naturalis.nl&id=i001555&logId=l000001&execute=showsingleitem Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:58:43 +0200 digging team As soon as we set foot on Mauritius we headed for an excursion into the vast system of lavatunnels on the hilly side of the island. In the shadow of  Julian Hume we entered a cave where speleologists discovered a complete dodoskeleton, only... http://www.naturalis.nl/get?site=naturalis.nl&view=naturalis.nl&id=i001555&logId=l000002&execute=showsingleitem Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:34:31 +0200 Perry de Louw Novices Tamara Vernimmen, Mikel Rijsdijk and I were shown around at Mare aux Songes by Alan Grihault. Kenneth Rijsdijk had a busy time telephoning and faxing to get official permission from the authorities to start the excavation. Without, ... http://www.naturalis.nl/get?site=naturalis.nl&view=naturalis.nl&id=i001555&logId=l000003&execute=showsingleitem Wed, 1 Aug 2007 10:42:23 +0200 Perry de Louw Digging a hole is easy. But how to keep it dry? This is the ultimate challenge of the expedition. Remember in Mare aux Songes groundwater level almost equals the walking surface. If we want seeing dodo bones arranged in situ, we need a dry ... http://www.naturalis.nl/get?site=naturalis.nl&view=naturalis.nl&id=i001555&logId=l000004&execute=showsingleitem Wed, 1 Aug 2007 10:51:57 +0200 Kenneth Rijsdijk Working in wet conditions has its own specific difficulties. Yesterday a local contractor, Sotramon, started to drill holes with a diamond-headed borer (to get through the layer of dumped basalt) and installed the pumps. It took us several ... http://www.naturalis.nl/get?site=naturalis.nl&view=naturalis.nl&id=i001555&logId=l000005&execute=showsingleitem Mon, 6 Aug 2007 15:12:26 +0200 Perry de Louw A BREAKTHROUGH!An hour before nightfall we managed to get the excavation pit dry. Rene Floore and the crane driver placed the last sheet-piles and started the pumps. And twenty minutes later the water level in the pit already lowered 10 cen... http://www.naturalis.nl/get?site=naturalis.nl&view=naturalis.nl&id=i001555&logId=l000006&execute=showsingleitem Tue, 7 Aug 2007 08:07:59 +0200 Perry de Louw