1916.1 



Toumsend, Voyage of the 'Albatross' in 1911. 



411 



On the morning of the 11th we arrived at the central part of the east side 

 of Cedros and anchored opposite a beach at the foot of a wide, flat valley 

 leading into the interior. The collectors followed up the valley, some of 

 them climbing the high central ridge, covered with cedar trees, about four 

 miles inland. About three miles inland the winding valley opened out 

 into an amphitheatre, at the upper end of which is a spring of water 

 where the main valley forks. This valley is the best route to the interior 

 of the island. The spring water here also smelled and tasted of sulphur 

 and left a whitish deposit on the ground. This is the only fresh water 

 in this part of the island. 



A good collection of birds, lizards and plants was obtained. The seining 

 party got fishes similar to those obtained at the last anchorage. Photo- 

 graphs were taken of plants and scenery. I procured a fourteen-inch lizard 



Fig. 7. The barren southern end of Cedros Island. 



which had swallowed a ten-inch lizard. There were no snakes seen. Among 

 the birds taken were finches, two species of hummingbird, burrowing owl, 

 gnatcatcher, Audubon's warbler and wren. A few wild mice (Peromyscus 

 eremicus cedrosccnsis) were taken in the traps. 



A very interesting feature of the plant life of Cedros Island is the strange 

 elephant tree (Pachycormus discolor) which takes a thick bush-like form. 

 It sometimes reaches a height of twenty feet, with a spread of forty. The 

 main stem may be more than a foot thick at the ground, and branches 

 immediately into several arms, the branches are exceedingly thick and heavy 

 and the bark, sometimes an inch in thickness, is a soft pulpy rind which may 

 be cut readily with a penknife. The elephant tree is a monstrous growth in 

 appearance and is commonly found on the lower hillsides and in the canons. 

 It is also found on the mainland. (See Fig. 10.) 



The seining party obtained a good variety of fishes and the boat dredge 



