106 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



ually let the Papilio fly. Mr. Ramsden, 

 however gave the Museum more speci- 

 mens and of rarer species than we could 

 have procured by net. 



With a collector's sigh over the much 

 that was left undone in environments so 

 different from those studied in the west 

 and a personal regret in leaving the kind 

 hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsden, 

 I went back to Santiago — or "Cuba" 

 as it is called there — and was soon 

 rounding the water-level cavern of 

 Morro on the way to the task of sorting 



and getting the names of the ten thou- 

 sand or more species brought back. 



Cuba is rich in interesting forms 

 and offers many scientifically impor- 

 tant problems of distribution and the 

 effect of isolation. Not until we know 

 and understand Cuba, can we explain 

 the fauna of Florida to the north or of 

 the islands to the east of it. But the 

 typical Cuban fauna is being rapidly 

 exterminated by the inroads of short- 

 sighted civilization and the scientific 

 work must be done soon. , 



The castle of Morro near Santiago and its water-level cavern in the rocks 



