136 Menage Expedition to the Philippines 



and is the property of a native of some means, who is en,2;-aged 

 in growing hemp on the mountain sides. We were still distant 

 about a three hours' walk from the forest, but were as near 

 as we could get with our baggage. 



Our first day's hunt convinced us that we had struck good 

 ground, so we settled down for ten days' work.' The forest 

 was too far away to make it practicable to go there, shoot our 

 birds, return, and skin them the same day, so we adopted the 

 following plan of work: 



One of us accompanied by a guide would start early in the 

 morning for the woods. At noon a messenger from the house 

 would take him his dinner and a supply of loaded shells, and 

 carry back the birds shot that morning. At night he would 

 again be sent with food for supper and breakfast, and would 

 take back the birds shot in the afternoon. A small hut on the 

 edge of the jungle furnished a shelter for the night. The next 

 day the same operations were repeated, the hunter returning at- 

 night. But few paths could be found, most of them leading 

 along the river or its branches. In consequence the hunter's 

 clothes were wet all day, and this, combined with the hard 

 tramping over rocks or through the jungle, made two days of 

 this work all that could be endured without rest. So for the 

 next two days the work would be changed, thus making it 

 possible to obtain birds from the distant forest. 



But the work was beginning to tell on vis. The region was 

 noted for being very unhealthy and the food supply was running 

 low. Two or three days exhausted the supply of chickens, and 

 then we were compelled to depend upon our guns for meat. Bread 

 or beef had not been tasted for three weeks, boiled rice being 

 our staff of life. Four days before we left we purchased our 

 host's parlor pig, and then lived quite w^ell on pork and rice. 

 At the end of ten days we returned to Balete and from there 

 went directly to Capiz, arriving at midnight, November 23rd. 

 On the following Thursday we took the boat for Iloilo, arriving 

 Saturday, November 29th. 



During our entire stay in Panay, we were much hindered by 

 rain, but for the next six months we expect to be free from that 

 trouble. 



While our collection of birds from Panay is not numerically 

 large, we never put in the same length of time more profitably, 



