10 INTRODUCTION. 
place I engaged Mateo Trujillo, a half-breed Indian, who accompanied me during the 
greater part of the time I was in Mexico and proved a very skilful collector. He was 
a first rate climber, and amongst other things made a considerable collection of the 
frogs, newts, and insects which inhabit epiphytical Bromelias growing on the trees in 
the neighbourhood of Jalapa. We made an excursion to Misantla and Papantla, on 
the low ground near the coast at the foot of the mountain range, which proved to be 
very good collecting ground and added considerably to our birds and insects. On 
leaving Misantla we returned to Jalapa and over the Cofre de Perote to Esperanza, and 
thence by train to Mexico City. From the Capital I made two expeditions, the first 
in company with Mr. Flohr to the pretty town of Cuernavaca, and thence to the caves 
of Cacahuimilpa, where he hoped to have found some blind insects. The second and 
also interesting expedition was to Morelia and Lake Patzcuaro, where I added to the 
collection of Birds, but it was attended with no very valuable results. 
On returning to the Capital I next visited Yucatan, crossing the Gulf of Campeche 
from Vera Cruz to Progreso by steamer, thence to Merida by train, where the railway 
then ended. My first object was to visit the well known naturalist Dr. Gaumer, who 
kindly accompanied me to the celebrated ruins of Ticul and Uxmal, a distance from 
Merida of about forty miles, which journey was performed on horseback. The low 
forest through which we passed is said to be still frequented by the beautiful ‘ Pavo 
real’ (Meleagris oceliata), but it has become so rare in the neighbourhood that we 
ourselves did not meet with it. Leaving Yucatan I went back to Mexico City, where 
I was joined by Mr. and Mrs. Elwes, and together we went to Jalapa, thence riding 
across the country to Cordova, a most delightful journey of three days, and obtaining 
magnificent views of the Volcano of Orizaba, with its snow-clad peak. We continued 
our journey to Puebla and Mexico City, and thence to Amecameca at the foot of the 
volcanoes Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl; the latter we ascended as far as the pine belt, 
shooting many interesting birds and collecting plants and insects. We left Mexico in 
the spring of 1858, having been absent from home about five months, and returned to 
England wd California and New York. 
For several years after my return from Mexico, Salvin and I continued diligently 
to work out the material on hand and the ever increasing amount sent over by our 
collectors. Salvin’s failing health finally obliged him to relax his efforts, and though 
he still came to London as formerly, he was unable to take the same active part 
in the work and the difficulty of concentrating his attention on any one subject 
became increasingly great. He died suddenly at Hawksfold, Fernhurst, Sussex, 
Jure Ist, 1895, 'eiving me alone to complete the ‘ Biologia.’ 
The severance of a friendship such as ours had been for forty-four years was a terrible 
blow to me, for we were more intimately connected than most brothers, and, besides 
the personal loss, I missed his knowledge and experience in all things connected with 
our book. At the time of Salvin’s death, 14] Parts of Zoology (completing 13 volumes), 
