﻿NO. lO SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I923 39 



and therefore fauna, remains. Frequent stops were made, where 

 suitable places presented themselves, and bags of leaf mould, rich in 

 minute land mollusks, were secured. Thanks to a letter from the 

 governor to Mr. French T. Maxwell, Vice President of the Guanica 

 Central, Dr. Bartsch had splendid quarters assigned to him, and he 

 was granted every facility and assistance to make his week's stay at 

 this end of the island thoroughly available for intensive work. With 

 the aid of a launch owned by Mr. Thompson he was able to comb the 

 south coast from Balena Point to the western extremity of the island, 

 as well as the ofif-lying islands, for Cerions and other land mollusks, 

 a large series of which was secured. 



The return trip was made by the railway that skirts the western 

 and northern shores of the island to San Juan, whence the naval 

 transport Kittcry carried Dr. I'artsch back to Hampton Roads, arriv- 

 ing on May 2^. 



This expedition resulted in the securing of about 15.000 land, fresh 

 water and marine mollusks, 48 bats, i lizard, some ectoparasites, a 

 collection of ants, and 3 fungi. 



A second expedition to the island of San Salvador was undertaken 

 on August 9, at which time Dr. Bartsch and his son left New York 

 on the army transport St. Miliiel. They were landed at Cockburn 

 Town on August 12, and spent two trying weeks on San Salvador in 

 intensive collecting. The work was made particularly arduous by the 

 presence of countless numbers of little sand flies, which made it 

 difficult to attend to anything but these little pests in the day time, and 

 absolutely forced one under a cloth screen after sunset. There was 

 only one night when it was possible to collect night flying insects 

 without wearing a superabundance of clothes, gloves securely tied at 

 the wrists, leggins and a cloth head net, but in spite of these trials 

 the island was thoroughly searched for Cerions, and quite a number 

 of new species were secured, but unfortunately not the one that was 

 particularly sought, which group is not represented on the island. 

 Large series of other land mollusks. as well as marine and fresh- 

 water species, were gathered and as many insects and birds as time 

 would permit. 



It is interesting to compare present conditions with those described 

 by Columbus in his journal. Not a trace of Indian blood was apparent. 

 The black population consisted of about 700 souls. It was a rather 

 homogeneous, tall, splendid type, actively engaged in pursuits of one 

 kind or another, chief among which is the growing of sisal. Thanks 

 to our Eighteenth Amendment, funds have been steadily pouring into 



