SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I929 IO5 



July 31 was devoted to Guadeloupe; the splendid roads made it 

 possible to easily reach Basse Terre from Pointe a Pitre, and while 

 much of the island is under cultivation, patches remain along the 

 roadside here and there where remnants of the fauna are still to be 

 found. Then too, many of its mountains are so steep that agricultural 

 pursuits are more than difficult and this lends shelter for their main- 

 tenance. The scant fauna, both as far as species and specimens are 

 concerned, was due to the character of the soil which here is purely 

 volcanic and forms a marked contrast with the abundance of forms 

 on Grande Terre where lime is present. While I did not reach the 

 summit of Soufriere, the highest peak of this wonderfully cut up 

 island, I did climb sufficiently high to secure representative material 

 from the mountain fastnesses. 



August I and 2 were devoted to the Saints ; St. Paul yielded a 

 goodly catch of bush-dwellers ; St. George's Island proved dry and 

 barren ; St. Peter showed quite a fauna on one spot where a bit of 

 elevated coral reef remained half way up to the summit. 



On Maria Galante Island we found a duplication of Grand Terre 

 conditions and an equally abundant mollusk fauna. Maria Galante is 

 evidently a bit of the same uplift which caused the emergence of Grand 

 Terre from the sea ; not only did the land yield mollusks in abundance 

 but the streams were equally productive. 



The island of Dominica proved to be another of the tortured 

 volcanic products just then blessed with much rain. All the mountain 

 peaks wore their cloud caps and collecting had to be done in rain gear. 

 An auto road winds picturesquely over the mountains to the east coast 

 and along this our collecting was done in suitable localities. The piles 

 of rubbish under the neatly raked Cacao groves were particularly rich 

 in mollusks. 



At Rosseau we explored the Botanic Gardens, a splendid collecting 

 ground, and made a survey of the beautiful valley behind the town 

 as well as the elevated reefs of Morne Bruce above the Botanic 

 Gardens and Morne Daniel at Telegraph Hill. 



Sleepy winds gave us the chance to admire the north and west shore 

 of Martinique on August 7 more than we really cared for. A'iewed 

 from the north side the eastern profile enjoys a slow gradual slope. 

 The contributions of Mt. Pelees' last effort have as yet not been cut up 

 and carried to sea by wind and weather. The north and west sides are 

 chewed up as badly as Dominica. The afternoon was spent in examin- 

 ing the bold shores of the Bay of Fort de France and yielded little. 



August 8 however, was one of the most marvellous days of the 

 entire trip. An automobile carried us from Fort de France north- 



