318 Dr. C. Christj—Field-Notes 



I believe^ be entered only in a boat by one very narrow 

 creek, about three miles up the Yuna, on the north bank. 



At La Vega, where 1 spent the greater part of April and 

 May, the country is very different. There it is flat and more 

 thickly populated, while there are many large plantations o£ 

 cacao as well as of some coffee. The forest is not so dense, 

 and is intersected by open patches of coarse grass, called 

 " savanas.'^ 



Three miles to the south of the town are the slopes of the 

 Cibao mountains, which run the whole length of the island 

 and contain some peaks which are said to be of an altitude of 

 over 10,000 feet. Except for the exertions of Baron Eggers, 

 and later on of Mr. C. B. Cory, the higher parts of this range 

 are as yet almost virgin ground to the naturalist. 



During my stay in the island I was engaged almost con- 

 tinually in medical work, and therefore had very little time 

 for collecting and skinning. But I managed to make many 

 fruitful excursions, and I had often to ride long journeys to see 

 patients, on which occasions I always carried some skinning- 

 tools and my walking-stick gun, as well as a net and col- 

 lecting-bottles. The walking-stick gun was invaluable, and 

 I obtained most of my specimens with it ; but it was a source 

 of trouble on several occasions, owing to covetousness on 

 the part of divisional commissaries of police. Once it was 

 taken away from me by a commissary and six soldiers, but 

 the governor, to whom I sent, returned it to me with the 

 request that I would not use it near the town, for if the 

 merchants took it into their heads to import such a weapon, 

 the next revolution might be a dangerous affair. After that 

 my house was broken into by a commissary in broad day- 

 light, but the gun was carefully hidden. An apology was 

 made to me, and the man was locked up. 



I succeeded in making in all about 70 skins, and after 

 carefully identifying the species, with the kind assistance of 

 Mr. Salvin and Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, I find that there are 

 none which have not been more or less fully described by 

 Mr. Cory and others, although there are representatives of 

 a few rare species and some interesting plumages among 



