O SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



is quite occupied with collecting as there is a large variety of specimens here. 

 At the present time we are constructing a tennis court on the plateau to the west 

 of the station, on spare time. It is only about a ten-minute walk from the house 

 over an almost level trail. 



The sky has been very good thus far in November, although usually cloudy 

 in the afternoon which is not as good for long methods which can only be ob- 

 tained at that part of the day. We are taking all the long methods possible as 

 Mr. Hoover stated that only about 50 or 60 were possible during the year. The 

 new plates have a thinner colloidal film and are therefore much more sensitive 

 to light which I think is desirable, but they are also more frail and have to be 

 developed carefully. The apparatus has been working beautifully and has been 

 giving no trouble of any consequence. At the present time we are running monthly 



Fig. 5. — The leopard that stole the observatory chickens. Messrs. Ilodver and 

 Greeley and their " boys." 



comparisons on the instruments and checking every instrument to see that no 

 daily gradual deviation occurred when compared with its setting on the preced- 

 ing month. 



The native boys working here are rather interesting and the subjects of con- 

 siderable observation. We have two working here and they are both married. 

 However as many as six women come to visit them at a time and think nothing 

 of walking nine miles across the desert from Berseba. They have only one small 

 stone hut about eight feet square and they all retire in their spacious mansion 

 regardless of number. None of their wives live up on the mountain, preferring 

 Berseba which is more social. One of the boys is very conscientious and honest 

 and on pay night this boy said, " Boss, I want to make speak with you." When 

 I asked him what he wanted he made quite a speech about how long he had 

 worked here and his expenses and ended by asking for a raise in wages of one 

 shilling per month, which was such a colossal sum that I had to ask him several 



