( 1^3 ) 



several island officials. The jwlice commissiouer and the lighthouse keeper soon 

 boarded us. The former brought a package of letters. The guests were entertained 

 in our little cabin. The Ecuadorian captain could speak English, and he gave ns 

 quite a lot of information about tlie island. It seems that the past week was a 

 holida}- time for them, and that they are going to have a big time to-night. Harris, 

 Hull, and the captain went up with these people to Seuor Cobos' place. The mate 

 and myself went ashore. The lighthouse keeper, a young Spaniard, and his comrade, 

 had a house built of bamboo mats and tin combined. They had a couple of old- 

 fashioned rifles and some " machetes." They could not speak English (nor we 

 Spanish), but we managed to talk all the same — by sign language ! The keeper 

 showed us round. There was a graveyard near the beach ; all graves were marked 

 by crosses. There were a couple of good-sized warehouses, and that was about 

 all. We saw several natives, one a woman, who was quite good-looking. We 

 noticed a good many empty shells of Chiton, and found out that they eat the 

 animal. 



Oct. 10. — Sunda}'. Dressed up in our best and went ashore. The mate. Beck, 

 and myself walked up to Progresso over a very good road. Birds were numerous, 

 especially Geospi.me. We noticed martins, cuckoos, Pi/roc('phalns, and Cama- 

 rhyiichus. As we neared the settlement we came to vast fields of sugar-cane. Later 

 on we learned that Cobos had over 1000 acres planted. Vegetation tropical. Large 

 cacti, lemon, orange, and banana trees. The tropical fruit which they call 

 " papaios " * and castor oil beans were also common. There are some other tropical 

 fruits here. One they call y-yava consists of a large pod, with eight or nine beans 

 or seeds in it, surrounded by a pleasant-tasting'pulp. Coffee and a tropical substitute 

 for potatoes grow here. We soon reached the settlement, which consisted of a 

 number of low thatched huts, which were filled with natives. It being a holiday — 

 having nothing to do — they came around us in crowds. They were a general 

 mixture of Columbians, Ecuadorians, Peruvians, Spaniards, etc., and crosses between 

 the entire lot. A few of the women were fair-looking, also the Spanish boys, but 

 the rest were a hard-looking crowd. As near as we could find out, the population 

 was 225 men and 40 women, all of them virtually subjects of Sefior Manuel I. Cobos. 

 Saw a pen with several Galapagos (tortoises) in it alive. Bananas, 20 cents a 

 bunch; lemons, 10 cents per 100; "yuccas" (potato substitutes), 1 cent per lb; 

 water, 5 dollars per 500 gallons. There was quite a large sugar refinery here, and 

 huge vats of sugar and juice standing around. One man said they turned out 3 tons 

 a day. There were a good many hens in the village, and I saw one turkey- 

 Donkeys were plentiful, and out in the green fields were a large number of cattle . 

 We returned at noon to the ship. 



Oct. 11.— Went ashore early, and shot about a dozen birds each. Cobos came 

 to dinner, an hour late, accompanied by a bodyguard of one soldier. He left shortly 

 after dinner, Harris and Hull going back with him. Beck and myself finished the 

 rest of the birds. 



Oct. 12. — Beck and myself went ashore quite early, shooting about a dozen 

 birds each. Just as we got through, Harris and Hull came down the road. They 

 had collected quite a number of nice birds, swallows (our barn swallow), cuckoos, 

 martins {Progne modesta), sandpipers, and some Pyrocepkalus. Worked on birds 

 the rest of the day. 



Oct. 13. — Hull and Beck went collecting; I worked on alcoholic stuff. On their 



* C'arica papaya. 



