11 m 



I 



Iexico clings to the North American continent 

 like a gargantuan cornucopia filled to the brim and bulging in the 

 middle. Overflowing from the lip of the cone is the peninsula of 

 Baja CaHfornia, an immense appendage which is important because 

 it almost doubles her Pacific shoreline. 



No other nation in the world offers greater diversity of climate 

 or topography. Mexico dips her sturdy feet into the dripping 

 tropics, rests her brown shoulders on burning desert sands and rears 

 her proud head into lofty snowclad heights. Her rugged mountain 

 ranges are burdened with treasure. Broad high mesas and fertile 

 valleys are slashed with tumbling streams. Waters of two great 

 gulfs warm her shores. Both abound with marine Ufe. 



Despite the rise and fall of ancient civilizations and centuries 

 of development much of Mexico remains unexplored. This is par- 

 ticularly true in a zoological sense. The flora and fauna of her 

 Pacific shoreline and the Gulf of CaHfornia are little known. Dis- 

 tances so great as to challenge the imagination have been a deter- 

 rent to intensive exploration. 



In order to tap Mexico's rich store of scientific lore two major 

 voyages of the Velero III have been devoted almost wholly to the 

 Gulf of California. Five other expeditions to tropical seas have 

 included numerous stops along her Pacific coast. Knowledge of 

 marine life in Mexican waters has been sufficiently enriched by 

 these expeditions to encourage more detailed investigation. 



Ashore there is much to interest the visitor in this vast, mys- 

 terious and hospitable land. Citizenry ranges from the most primi- 

 tive Indian types to people of the highest culture. On the west 

 coast there are numerous thriving communities. Others lie bask- 

 ing in the sunshine of old Mexican traditions. And in the more 

 remote regions one may find aborigines living much as their ances- 

 tors did hundreds of years ago. 



Because of their remoteness and aloofness the Seris of Tiburon 

 Island may well be counted the most interesting of the coastal In- 

 dian tribes. Much has been written of them but reliable authorities 

 say they remain one of the least-studied tribes of North America. 

 They are distinctive in habits, customs and language. To the un- 

 initiated they appear to speak with uninteHigible clicks and clacks, 

 141 guttural in character. They call themselves Kun-kaak or Kmike. 



