BARBADOS-ANTIGUA EXPEDITION 53 
In general it may be said that we lived simply, but had an 
abundance of wholesome food at a reasonable price; while the 
service, when we consider that our strange and unusual ways 
must have been a disturbing factor, was reasonably satisfac- 
tory. Our hours for meals, for example, were unheard of in 
that part of the world, being 7:30 for breakfast, 12:30 for 
lunch, and 6:30 for dinner; while the usual hours at Barbados 
were: coffee or tea in the morning, a 10 o’clock breakfast, 
2 o’clock lunch, tea at 4:30, and supper or dinner at 7:30. It 
was hard to convince the servants that meals were expected on 
time, as they were evidently used to serving them whenever 
they happened to be ready. 
In the afternoon I went over to Bridgetown to cable Presi- 
dent Jessup of our safe arrival. It is hard to understand, by the 
way, why it costs fifty cents a word to cable from St. Thomas 
and only thirty-five cents from Bridgetown, nearly twice the 
distance to New York. 
I also called at the Colonial Bank, to which I presented letters 
of credit from the New York branch. Our business affairs were 
very satisfactorily arranged through this establishment, al- 
though I could draw no money without signing a statement to 
the effect that it was not to be used in any way that would af- 
ford aid to the enemies of Great Britain. The checkbook given 
me was twice the size of ours and too large to carry conveniently 
in the pocket. 
The business of getting settled is always tiresome, and we 
were all glad to take to our beds that first night on Pelican 
Island. 
The next day was devoted to getting acquainted with our sur- 
roundings from the point of view of the zoologist. Professor 
Fisher superintended this work. As it was low tide in the 
morning, attention was focussed on the tide-flats on both sides 
of our laboratory, where it was at once apparent that abundant 
material awaited us. The stretch of bottom uncovered at low 
tide was composed of loose coral rocks resting on a sandy sub- 
stratum. Practically every one of these stones would, upon 
being overturned, disclose several forms of animal life. Most 
abundant and conspicuous were large serpent-stars, Ophiocoma, 
which would wriggle away with a celerity that was astonishing. 
