IOO SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



On September 10 we headed southward for the Cayman Islands, 

 a group of three peaks whose molluscan fauna proclaims them a con- 

 tinuation of the Sierra Maestra range of southeastern Cuba, from 

 which they are separated by about 115 miles. About noon the follow- 

 ing day we reached Cayman Brae, which looks like a block of honey- 

 comb limestone elevated out of the sea to a height of about 130 feet. 

 It is ioi miles long and about i^ broad. The top of the block is rough 

 and covered with brush, and its sides are almost perpendicular. A 

 coastal plain strip on the north and west furnishes arable land and 

 good roads. We engaged an automobile and soon covered all parts 

 sufficiently to get a representative collection of its molluscan and other 

 faunas by the end of the next day. 



On the evening of September 11 we sailed for Little Cayman some 

 4 miles west of Cayman Brae. Engine trouble caught us at sea after 

 dark. Approaching the northeastern end of Little Cayman we almost 

 came to grief on a fringing reef. The coolheadedness and good 

 seamanship of our captain, however, saved the day. Little Cayman, 

 to which we devoted September 11 to 13, is about 9 miles long and 

 1 mile wide. Its highest peak is said to be about 100 feet. As a whole, 

 it appears much lower than Cayman Brae and has less tillable land 

 than that island and only a very scant population. Most of the island 

 is covered with brush and timber. We found it splendid collecting 

 ground for mollusks and other things, and made a large catch. 



On September 13, we left our anchorage in Blossom Village harbor 

 and proceeded west toward Grand Cayman, which is about 60 miles 

 distant. This is the largest of the three Caymans, having a length of 

 about 20 miles and a breadth of about 8 miles. Its highest point is 

 said to be only about 50 feet. Much of the island consists of sand 

 dunes. North Sound, a great bay on the northwestern end. is man- 

 grove-fringed. 



At Georgetown, the capital of Grand Cayman, we were met by one 

 of my former students, Dr. Overton, the Chief Medical Officer of 

 the Cayman Island, and thanks to his assistance and the kind helpful- 

 ness of the Commissioner, we were enabled to explore the island 

 thoroughly and to secure a large amount of material in the short time 

 allotted to us. September 18, at 4 a. m., we set sail for the Cuban coast, 

 and reached the shores of Sandy Cay at about 9 a. m., on the 19th, after 

 sailing 145 miles. From this time until September 24 we cruised 

 along and collected on the keys between Cayo Largo and the Isle 

 of Pines. 



