TRIP TO THE BAHAMAS 3 



98 miles north of New Providence. This passage was rather rough, 

 o^dng to a heavy soirest wind and we were all glad to cross Little 

 Harbor Bar and to enter the still water behind the oixtlying fringe 

 of cays off Great Abaco. Ilopetown is one of the few white settle- 

 ments in the Bahamas and boasts about 1000 inhabitants. Here is 

 the large lighthouse that warns mariners from the dreaded Elbow 

 Reef, which in the old days was such a })rofitable collecting ground 

 for the wreckers. 



For two days we di<l shore-collecting here but did not find it 

 particularly productive. The rocks along the shore yielded a con- 

 siderable number of shells and Ave found large colonies of the rock- 

 boring barnacle, Lithotrya. A good deal of collecting we did in 

 five or six feet of water, using a waterglass to examine the bottom. 

 The abundance of sharks was somewhat of a drawback. Although 

 we were assured l)y the natives that these were very timid yet they 

 sometimes came A\dthin 15 feet of us. Though we did not see any 

 very large ones on the Abaco side of Elbow Cay, we did see sev- 

 eral monsters in the surf on the ocean side. After two days spent 

 here we went to Marsh Harbor on the " mainland " of Great Abaco, 

 and from this point we made several excursions among the intricate 

 waterways of "The ]\larls." Here we saw one Sjtlendid band of 

 fifty-four flamingoes as well as a few scattered individuals. For- 

 merly these birds nested here in great flocks but owing to the great 

 destruction of the eggs and young birds by the peojde of Marsh 

 Harbor, a mere remnant now remains. Their nesting site has not 

 been discovered for two years and if it can l)e kept hidden for a few 

 years more their numl)er may increase. In the Bahamas the craving 

 of the people for fresh meat can only be satisfied l)y using gulls, 

 terns, cormorants, and flamingoes for food. A crying need of the 

 islands is a good set of game laws for none whatever exist to-day. 

 We were forced on several occasions to try these various birds as 

 food and cannot recommend ])ersons to rely on them. The wild 

 pigeon which occurs in thousands on some of the cays is, however, 

 delicious. 



About noon of July 8th we set out for Great Guana Cay, where 

 we spent several days in shore-collecting and dredging in Guana 

 Cay channel. Of our dredging apparatus we purpose to speak later. 

 We made good use here of the snapnet in collecting small reef 

 fishes, baiting and setting it in from 10-30 feet of water and 



