(ii) 



hours of it as at starting. They shot several small birds 

 on the way, but their guns go offso slowly that a bird has 

 time to escape between the click-fire and the explosion 

 of the charge. However, when they did kill, owing to 

 the size of the shot, and the distance being usually 

 about four or five yards, the bird was generally blown to 

 atoms. . . . Saw a colony of ants to-day carrying 

 barley to their nest, which was deep underground and 

 too rocky to dig out. A long line of the workers had 

 almost each of them a barley-corn in its jaws. Yester- 

 day I came to the conclusion that they did not lay up 

 grain ; but, alas ! for human conclusions, the same 

 species on which I experimented yesterday, by strew- 

 ing wheat and barley in and near their highway, I find 

 to-day busily carrying away barley, while yesterday they 

 would not look at it.' 



March 30. c Saw an English traveller ride up and 

 cc do " Elisha's Well this morning. The interesting 

 operation did not seem difficult, and took him about 

 five minutes. . . . Caught a small crab near the edge 

 of the brook and chloroformed it, when it immediately 

 threw off all its legs and claws.' 



March 31. c Last night two Solpugidae (Galeodes) came 

 into the tent and raced about like mad things not 

 pleasant visitors, as they are as poisonous or more so 

 than a scorpion. Caught one to-day full-grown, about 

 two inches long ; it fought desperately before I could 

 secure and chloroform it.' 



