Pts Cape Region of / Bae ¢ Cali fornia. ; cf [zor 
wet, ps after moving my Laie, ‘ctl etc., into the upper tab. ~ 
- my hunting coat I crossed over and secured the bird, but the water 
at that place was just a little more than waist deep. -Fortu 
the weather was warm and a brisk walk of two miles bac 
house prevented any unpleasant results. Manuel was waiting fe 
us and he noticed at once that his services had been missed that 
day, but I could not scold him for his first and, as it afterwards _ 
proved, his only failure. The next morning we breakfasted on 
ibis, Spanish style, and started at seven o’clock to follow up one 
of the long arroyos tributary to the river, but even at that time 
quite dry, notwithstanding the daily rains. I may say here that at 
the time of our arrival (September) the rainy season was at hand, 
and during the first twenty-one days of our stay at San José del 
Cabo rain fell on every day excepting five, sometime only a passing 
thunder storm, again a continuous rain for hours in the day or 
night. The sun was very warm, at least it seemed so for the at- 
mosphere was so damp from evaporated moisture. It was like 
being in a mild Turkish bath night and day, and consequently as. 
little clothing as possible was worn by day, and at night we slept, — 
nude, upon canvas cots with never a thought of having even a — 
sheet for covering towards morning. The first three weeks were 
the most telling ones on us, unaccustomed as we were to sucha 
climate we lost in weight rapidly. After a few days experience we 
found that more could be accomplished in such weather by energetic 
work in the morning and returning to the house by ten or eleven , 
o’clock, by which time the heat became oppressive, unless it wasa 
cloudy day when longer excursions could be made until noon or 
later. Specimens of birds and mammals killed in the morning had 
sometimes to be eviscerated in the field otherwise they would spoil 
before the work of preparing them could be commenced. Evening 
killed birds would not keep until morning unless temporary pre- 
servatives were used. Alcoholic specimens, reptiles, etc., were 
eviscerated in some cases, or if small, simply opened on the ab- 
domen and after cataloguing plunged at once into about 40 per cent. 
alcohol on arriving at headquarters; a day or two after they were 
wrapped in cheese cloth and transferred to a stronger solution in 
which they were shipped to the Academy. The system worked 
admirably and the alcoholic collection arrived in San Francisco in 
perfect condition. 
