PSJ'CHE. 



161 



Route. My route was as follows : 

 Leaving Boston July 21 an all too brief 

 stay of a few hours in Washington 

 enabled me to secure valuable sugges- 

 tions from people more or less familiar 

 with the country to be traversed. From 

 thence my route led by wa}' of Atlanta 

 and New Orleans direct to El Paso, 

 Tex., from which point I paid a short 

 visit to Prof. Cockerell at Mesilla, N. 

 M., in the midst of an exceptionally rich 

 and interesting fauna. Returning to El 

 Paso an all-day ride carried me to Yuma, 

 Ariz., which was reached July 4. From 

 this point northward stops were made 

 at relativel3' short intervals, etTort being 

 made for as great a variety of physical 

 and climatic conditions as possible con- 

 sistent with economy of time and money, 

 from one to three days being spent in a 

 place with side trips when it seemed 

 advisable. Two months were spent in 

 California, the chief points touched 

 being San Bernardino, Los Angeles, 

 San Diego, Yosemite Valley, San 

 Francisco, and Mt. Shasta. Oregon 

 was reached Sept. 6 and several stops 

 made along the line of the railroad and 

 side-trips to Mary's Peak and ■ Hood 

 River. Washington was barely touched 

 at three points, when, the weather be- 

 coming unfavorable, I left the coast 

 Sept. 30, returning via the Canadian 

 Pacific railroad. 



Expense. A three months' trip of 

 this kind from Boston back to Boston 

 may be made, with strict economy, for 

 $400 — from New York or Washington 

 proportionately less, — not including 

 transportation to and from the Yosemite 



Valley, which would be $25 to $35 

 more. An additional $50 or $100 will 

 add greatl}' to the traveler's comfort and 

 the enjoyment of the trip. The expense 

 of a collecting tour of course depends 

 on the amount and character of the ter- 

 ritory examined, the time spent at each 

 stopping-place, and the style of living. 



The best ticket is the nine months' 

 "Pacific Coast Excursion," allowing 

 sixty days to reach the coast, and nine 

 months for return to point of depar- 

 ture, with privilege of stop-over within 

 these pej'iods anywhere on the route 

 west of certain points. Tickets for 

 side-trips should not be bought till 

 needed, as advantage may often be taken 

 of temporary reductions. Local rail- 

 road fares vary from 3 to 6 cents a mile, 

 stage fares trom 10 to 45 cents. 



In traveling across the continent a 

 berth in a "Tourist" sleeper (second- 

 class) may be had for about one-third 

 the cost of one in the regular first-class 

 Pullman and is fairly comfortable. 

 Meals en route at hotels and in dining- 

 cars average 75 cents each. Rates at 

 the railroad hotels range from $2 to $4 

 a day. In most towns accommodations 

 may be secured for $1 to $125 a day. 

 In Los Angeles and San Francisco 

 excellent meals mav be had tor " two 

 bits" (25 c ). Sometimes high-priced 

 houses ha\e a low rate that may be 

 secured on application. If a stop of 

 several days at a central point is con- 

 templated it is usually best to engage a 

 room by the week and take meals where 

 most convenient. At railroad stations 

 where there are no hotels one may 



