VOL. II. | Cape Region of Baja California. 187 
Two saddle mules and two pack mules conveyed ourselves and bag- 
gage there by the time the sun had gonedown. The landing at the 
beach, two miles from the town of San José, is unsafe during a few 
months of the summer when the surf breaks heavily upon a long, 
abrupt sandy beach, hence the partially sheltered La Palmia landing 
becomes for a few days, at steamer time, a scene of great activity. 
Crowds of men were loading and launching dug-out canoes heavily 
laden with bales of cotton to be shipped to the mainland, others 
bringing merchandise and empty orange boxes from the steamer 
anchored half a mile off shore. Women and children were gathered 
under shelter of palm and brush-covered awnings where food and 
drink were for sale. A dirty and ragged but good-natured people 
to whom Americans, particularly if naturalists, are never failing 
objects of curiosity while they remain in the country. 
We had no difficulty in finding excellent quarters with abundance 
of room and good board with a Mexican family across the street, 
all of which were required, for we purposed to stay several weeks in 
the region, with San José as the base of exploration for zoological 
and botanical specimens. Our baggage was taken directly from the 
landing to the Custom House, where it underwent an inspection of 
not a very thorough nature, which was as surprising as it was grati- 
fying, for the Collector has the opportunity to make a great deal of 
annoyance and some expense to naturalists if he is so disposed. I 
have always received courteous treatment at the different ports of 
entry in Lower California, and also at San Francisco and San Diego 
when returning with collections which would have been liable to 
injury if thoroughly ransacked in the manner in which I have seen 
the outfit belonging to others handled. At San Diego, in 1886, my 
reception and release of baggage was courteous in the extreme. I 
have known of others having a great deal of trouble in clearing and 
the payment of duty even on white arsenic, which is placed on the 
free list. No sooner was our baggage removed from the Custom 
House to our quarters, than the small boys of the town began to 
congregate at the door; they were orderly and unobtrusive gamins 
_ brimming with good nature and curiosity. One of the boys was 
engaged for three bits (3714 cents) a day as a general assistant; his 
duties were many, and so entirely new to him that we were surprised 
to find how very useful, almost indispensable he soon became. 
Honest, reliable, always good-natured and willing, he formed a third 
