Menage Expedition to the Philippines 141 



our six months' stay. That is in regard to the weather. When 

 we reached Negros we supposed we had left the wet season 

 behind, but during our entire stay in the mountains it rained 

 daily, ending in a sort of cloud burst which raised the stream 

 to such a height that we feared we should not be able to get 

 out in time to catch the steamer for Dumaguete. By actual 

 count the path from our house in the mountains to the plantation 

 crosses the stream thirty-four times, and on the day we went out, 

 though the water had fallen greatly, it was waist deep at most 

 of the crossings. This last grand effort of the elements seems to 

 have exhausted the water supply and we have since had good 

 weather. 



Fram Dumaguete to Siquija we traveled in a small native 

 boat. The journey was pleasant, lasting eight hours, very good 

 time considering the facts that we were heavily loaded and that 

 currents were for the most part against us. 



We were soon established in our old quarters in the tribunal, 

 buying birds, shells, etc. We had many friends and acquaint- 

 ances there, and knowing what we wanted, and that we gave 

 coppers in exchange for birds and shells, they soon were hard 

 at work collecting, and we were as hard at work preserving 

 specimens of all kinds. The people are very poor, a man's 

 daily wages being only five coppers. Many, finding they could 

 make more than that collecting birds and other specimens, spent 

 their whole time at it. 



The second day after our arrival Mr. Bourns was taken ill 

 with fever. A liberal use of quinine however . stopped it at 

 the end of the third day. Although it showed a tendency to 

 return on one or two occasions, it did not come again in full 

 force until we reached Dumaguete, where it was easily stopped 

 by the use of a very efficient fever remedy which we have, but 

 which we had unfortunately left behind wh^n we went to 

 Siquija. 



After a seventeen days' stay in the town of Siquija we moved 

 back into the mountains to a small place called San Antonio, five 

 or six miles from Siquija and about 975 feet above the sea level. 

 We were comfortably established in an old deserted "convento," 

 once occupied by a priest, but since his departure left to go 

 to ruin. The house was large and well arranged for our work, 

 and, although rather too well ventilated, it served our purposes 



