MEXICAN NOTES, I. 
BY W. G. WRIGHT. 
Las Tres Marias. These are a group of five islands lying 80 
miles west from San Blas. The three larger ones are named for the 
three Marys of sacred history, while the other two have also indiv- 
idual names. The larger islands are covered with a heavy growth 
of large cedar trees, which of late years have been largely cut and 
exported. This is the Spanish mahogany or Spanish cedar, of com- 
mon use on the Pacific Coast for cabinet work and for cigar boxes. 
The cedar of these islands is of coarser grain than the trees grown on 
the adjacent mainland, being of more rapid growth, and is more 
easily worked. Salt works also exist at certain bays, where, it is 
stated, when the tide recedes it leaves a deposit of crystallized salt, 
without the necessity of evaporating works, which salt is scraped up 
and shipped without further preparation or purification; most of it 
going to Mexico for use in the mines. The same density of the sea 
water is said to be found at Salina Cruz, a port at the isthmus of 
Tehuantepec. The Tres Marias have twice been visited by natural- 
ists, the first visitor being an ornithologist who worked up the birds, 
though not very exhaustively, I think; but his drawings frequently 
included the nests, eggs and young, with the plants peculiarly con- 
nected; all being done in a most exquisite manner, the figures being, 
it seems to me, equal to Audubon’s. These figures, together with 
manuscript notes, are in the library of the university, at Berkeley. 
This ornithologist also collected incidentally in other branches, but 
only to small extent. The second visitor some years ago made a 
more general collection, including mammals, shells, insects, and 
everything of commercial value. This collection went chiefly to Ger- 
many, I believe; at any rate it is so reported, and it is consequently 
wholly lost to this country. Two gentlemen who knew the collector 
at the time of his visit, one of them being the agent in charge of the 
islands at the time, told me that the collector got a great quantity of 
bird skins, also many of mammals, together with many shells, but 
thought that the collection of insects was small, probably because 
the fauna was but meager in insect lifeon the islands, as he remained 
there several months, and would have got more if they had been 
abundant. Oe he ee a oe i oe 
The Tres Marias islands are private property, owned byafirmof > 
