Menage Expedition to the Philippines 135 



shotgun without injuring them greatly as specimens. We 

 obtained perfect skeletons of two of the largest size, and skins 

 of half a dozen others. As it takes half a day's work either to 

 skin or to skeletonize one of these animals, we hope that those 

 prepared may prove acceptable to the Academy. 



At the end of a week, another trip on horseback was made 

 in search of forest, but like the previous one was unsuccessful. 

 It was evident that forest was not to be found within ten miles 

 of Capiz. On Friday, October 31st, acting on the recommenda- 

 tion of the Governor of the province, we started for Balete, a 

 small place some thirty-five or forty miles away. The Governor 

 assured us that virgin forest surrounded the town. 



The first day's journey was by sea, the night being spent in 

 a small town called Batan. In the morning we transferred our 

 baggage to a small river boat or faroto and continued our jour- 

 ney. We followed the Jalo river up to Balete, where we were 

 well received by village authorities, and gladly accepted the 

 invitation of the native priest to stop with him. 



A short investigation satisfied us that there was no more 

 forest around Balete than around Capiz. We had however, on 

 our way up the river, passed several large colonies of fruit bats, 

 and upon these we now prepared to descend. Within a week 

 we put up forty-four skins and four skeletons, besides some 

 thirty birds and considerable alcoholic material. Unfortunately 

 five of the skins and the four skeletons were destroyed in a 

 rather peculiar manner. It is quite a common custom in the 

 Philippines to keep pigs in the parlor, but we did not suppose 

 that our host the priest followed the custom. We were mis- 

 taken however, for on our return from a two days' hunt down 

 the river we found that five of the skins and the four skeletons 

 which we had left nailed to the wall a little too near the floor 

 had been destroyed by the priest's pet pig. 



On Monday, November loth, with a light outfit, we em- 

 barked in two small river boats, and started up the river, de- 

 termined to reach the forest if possible. The river soon became 

 so small that it was very difficult to get along, even with our 

 small boats. The boatmen were often compelled to draw the 

 boats by hand over long rifts or small waterfalls. After eight 

 hours of this kind of traveling we reached the house where 

 we were to stop. It was the last house of any size on the river 



