MAR. 1896. ORNITHOLOGY OF SAN DOMINGO CHERRIE. 7 



28, moving farther westward in the road to Maniel and Loma Tina, 

 the latter the highest mountain peak in the West Indies. 



After leaving San Cristobal, the road as far as the crossing of the 

 Nisao River and a little beyond, winds through a very pleasant coun- 

 try, pretty well populated, splendid land and all fairly well cultivated. 

 Then commences a barren stretch of country, with no vegetation 

 except scrub timber, and a very scanty population until one reaches 

 the little town of Bani. Beyond this point the country becomes even 

 more barren and cheerless. The road is hemmed in with giant cacti, 

 while other and smaller species are scattered on all sides in greatest 

 profusion. The road itself is very stony and rough, but not very 

 steep. There is absolutely no water along this road and one travels 

 for .near an entire day over a dry, sandy, cacti-covered desert. We 

 passed one little village called Calabasa a collection of half a dozen 

 houses the occupants of which bring their water for miles. 



At Honduras, where I arrived late one evening, there is water. 

 The little creek Arroyo Bahia here shows itself for a short distance 

 and is then again lost in the sand of the desert. 



I collected at Honduras from March 29 to April 2. Here I 

 secured the two first specimens of Hyetornis fieldi Cory, and later at 

 Maniel the type specimen. Also the first examples of Euphonia musica 

 I met with were secured here. Five days at Honduras and my record 

 for the time was 210 bird skins. 



On the morning of April 3 I started northwestward through the 

 hills toward Maniel, far up in the mountains near the head of the 

 river Ocoa. It is a very rough road one must come pver, not so 

 much for the hills as for the stones and boulders that one must get over 

 somehow. For the greater part of the distance the road follows the 

 bed of the river, walled in almost as a canon. I crossed the river 

 thirty-two times in reaching Maniel. While here I made an effort 

 to reach Loma Tina but was unable to find a competent guide, 

 and this coupled with the fact that I found all paths up the mountain 

 completely blocked caused me to abandon the idea. I remained at 

 this point for six days and then having my packing cases full started 

 for San Domingo City. My trip to Maniel was the last excursion 

 made to any considerable distance from San Domingo City. 



From the localities above referred to, short excursions were made 

 into the surrounding country on all sides. But always and every- 

 where I went I found travel and moving from one point to another 

 exceedingly difficult, attended with much labor and inconvenience. 

 Although I was in San Domingo during the "dry season" it was not 



