MARCH, 1900. PLANTS UTOWAN^E MILLSPAUGH. n 



were lulled to sleep by the pattering fall of countless disappointed 

 fleas which, in their vain attempts to reach us, dropped back upon 

 the papers we had spread beneath our hammocks as a rug. 



At half after four in the morning we again boarded the train and 

 reached Merida at half past nine. Later we enjoyed a swim in Mr. 

 Thompson's irrigating tank and regained the yacht in the early even- 

 ing. Divesting ourselves of our clothing on deck, that we might not 

 contaminate our cabins with the various predacious insects with 

 which we were covered, we soon luxuriated in cleanliness and creat- 

 ure comforts. 



Rowing ashore at 4 A. M., March 5th, I spent the day tramping 

 over two leagues of the lagoon border and arid scrub land south of 

 Progreso (1643-1737). 



A condition peculiar in Yucatan existed at the time of this trip. 

 Instead of the usual northeast trades the wind had been prevalent 

 in the southeast, bringing more rain than had been known in the 

 peninsula for twenty years. This rendered the herbage and shrub- 

 bery of the wooded lands greener, and blooming plants more plenti- 

 ful than I had seen in my previous visits, and served to render my col- 

 lections at Chichen Itza and on the arid plains near Progreso espe- 

 cially valuable. The "northers" did not begin on the Yucatan coast 

 this year until our first experience with them at Cayman Brae on the 

 8th of February. The second one, which drove us out of the offing at 

 Georgetown, Grand Cayman, on the I3th, dropped the temperature 

 of Yucatan to 41 F. , the coldest known to the present generation. 

 These moisture and temperature conditions formed an era in the life 

 of the inhabitants that will be a tradition for decades to come. 



I returned to the dock about 5 p. M. The launch awaited me at 

 a short distance, tossing on an angry sea raised since morning by a 

 steadily increasing northeast wind to such a height that the Captain 

 of the Port expostulated with us for attempting to make the four 

 miles to the anchorage of the yacht. However with Mr. Armour at 

 the helm, we started off into the wild wind and waves against which 

 we fought our way to the vessel. As we drew near, the entire crew 

 gathered at the rail and watched our coming with anxious faces. We 

 finally gained the deck by leaping from the crest of a rising wave into 

 the arms of the waiting officers. 



The captain, fearing a shift of the wind to the north, made 

 immediate preparations to raise the anchor and put to sea, which all 

 steamers in the offing were doing as rapidly as possible. At eight o'clock 

 the wind veered full in the north, the barometer rose, the thermome- 

 ter fell, and another "norther" burst upon us. It blew with fury all 



