12 Alexander G. Rutiiven 



largely abandoned, and is now entirely so. It is in the heart of the heavy, 

 humid forest which reaches to the very beach all along the northeast coast 

 east of the Rio Piedras. A month was spent here, not because we wished 

 to stay, but because we could not get away, since the trip to Drbulla was 

 to be made by sea in a large dug-out canoe, and the canoe was not forth- 

 coming. To secure the canoe it was necessary to make the trip to DibuUa, 

 which I did, accompanied by our assistant, and riding the two mules, while 

 Mrs. Carriker remained in Don Diego. After two days of strenuous 

 endeavor and the promise of an exorbitant sum, a canoe and crew of five 

 men were secured. We embarked in the evening, with a fresh northeast 

 wind astern, and reached our destination early next morning. Then fol- 

 lowed a half day of frenzied packing and at 4 P. M. we embarked and 

 attempted to put to sea. There is no harbor of any sort at Don Diego, 

 merely an open beach, and in passing the second line of breakers we were 

 nearly swamped and were forced to return to shore, with much of our 

 outfit wet and damaged by the salt water. The next afternoon we made 

 another attempt which was more successful, and we reached the open sea 

 with only a slight wetting in the outer line of breakers. Thirty-six hours 

 were spent in getting to Dibulla, bucking the wind and strong current. We 

 arrived at dawn, nearly exhausted from the cramped position in the canoe 

 and lack of proper food. 



No pack animals were available in Dibulla, and it became necessary to 

 send to Pueblo \'iejo for them. In the meantime we spent ten days very 

 profitably in collecting around the hacienda La Victoria (near Dibulla), 

 where we had been most hospitably received. No collecting had ever been 

 done here and much interesting material was secured. Our baggage was 

 taken to Pueblo \'iejo on oxen, while we rode our own saddle animals. 

 Owing to the slowness of the oxen we were compelled to spend a night on 

 the road, reaching Pueblo Viejo at about 2 P. M. the second day. We 

 pitched camp on the banks of the Rio Ancha, about half a mile from the 

 village, thus escaping the too persistent visitors, including pigs and dogs, 

 of the town. W. W. Brown had done considerable collecting at this place. 

 Taut nevertheless much new material was secured and many new records 

 made. Pueblo Viejo is only about 2,000 feet above sea level, surrounded 

 by broken country, which has for the most part been cleared and has now 

 reverted to scrub or savanna. Our old friends, the wood ticks, which were 

 so numerous both at Don Diego and Dibulla, were much in evidence there 

 and caused no end of annoyance. After returning from a morning's shoot- 

 ing it was almost always necessary to strip completely, sponge off with 

 kerosene, and then bathe in the river to remove both ticks and kerosene, 

 while the clothing went into a can of boiling water. From this base the 

 valley and heights of Chirua were worked, as well as the valley of the Rio 

 Ancha above for a long distance, and also the Macotama Valley as far up 

 as Santa Cruz. 



We secured oxen from the Indians of San ^liguel for the transpor- 

 tation of our equipment to that village, a special trip having been made there 



