PREFACE 



|HESE chapters on the Nature life of 

 Mexico were written during a trip to that 

 country in the winter of 1903-04. We 

 reached Vera Cruz on Christmas Day ; 

 Guadalajara on New Year's, from which city we made 

 three camping trips in the vicinity of the Volcano of 

 Colima, in the States of Jalisco and Colima ; and re- 

 turning via Vera Cruz, we left that port en route for 

 New York at Easter. 



The entire trip was so novel, so delightful, so abso- 

 lutely devoid of unpleasant features, and on the whole 

 so inexpensive, that it seemed to me that the know- 

 ledge of such an outing would tempt many lovers of 

 Nature to this neighbouring Republic. As an aid to such 

 Mrs. Beebe has added a chapter on " How we did it." 

 Our sincere thanks are due to Hon. Levi P. Morton, 

 Mr. Madison Grant, and Secretary of State John Hay, 

 for letters of introduction which proved invaluable. 

 Of the innumerable courtesies extended to us in 

 Mexico we are especially grateful for the kindness of 

 Gobernador Miguel Ahumada, of the State of Jalisco ; 

 to Gobernador Enrique 0. de la Madrid, of the State 

 •"•M <^ vii ^ - 



