316 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS | XXXli, '21 



cost of maintenance which always confronts large institutions. Is not 

 the difference in securing funds for a government institution merely 

 a difference in the method? And, in the government institution is there 

 not the additional guarantee that the Museum will he maintained 

 hecause of the economic necessity of having insects identified? 



JOHN J. DAVIS. 



Mulford Biological Exploration of the Amazon Basin 



The latest message received from Dr. Rushy, the Director of the 

 Mulford Exploration, was dated August 30th and was written from 

 Htiachi on the Bopi River in Bolivia. Dr. Rushy arrived at Huachi on 

 August 23rd and he and his party spent some time making collections 

 and excursions into surrounding territory. During their stay there 

 four members of the party made a trip up the Cochabamha River and 

 reported finding many things of great scientific and- economic interest 



Dr. Rusby states that the journey from Espia, at the head of navi- 

 gation on the Bopi River, down to Huachi was very interesting and 

 accomplished successfully except for the loss of five boxes of provi- 

 sions, including most of their precious ammunition. The loss of their 

 ammunition leaves the party in a rather precarious condition as they 

 were depending on it for obtaining not only museum specimens of rare 

 birds and small mammals but also to supply the camp with fresh meat. 

 They will also doubtless have need for this ammunition when they pass 

 through certain sections inhabited by more or less hostile Indian tribes. 



Photographs were made of what Dr. Rusby considers the largest 

 true cactus in the world, which rises to the height of a good-sized tree 

 and with a limb-spread of 40 feet or more. 



Many very interesting forms of insect life have been collected. With 

 these, as in the case of plant life, specimens collected in one of these 

 deep Andean valleys may differ entirely from those of a similar valley 

 very closely adjacent. 



The swiftness of the Andean mountain streams and of the Bopi 

 river, on which the party lost some of their boxes of supplies, is 

 indicated by the fact that very few species of fish are encountered there. 



The waters of these rivers are also charged with dissolved mineral 

 matter and suspended particles washed down from the mountains. It 

 is therefore practically unfit for drinking purposes until the suspended 

 particles have settled out and the water sterilized. Dr. Rusby report* 

 purchasing whole mule-loads of oranges wherever possible, in order to 

 obtain orange-juice for drinking purposes, so as to avoid using the 

 water of the streams. 



The members of the party were all reported to be in good health and 

 enjoying their hard work and novel experiences. According to the 

 plans outlined in letters just received the party expected to arrive at 

 Rurrenabaque, Bolivia, about October 1st. 



R. H. HUTCHISON, Sec'y., Philadelphia. 



