188 EDITORIAL. 



vessels^ disappear completely, and with them the larger fishes that prey 

 thereon. For a number of days not a living thing of microscopic size 

 can be seen at the surface of the water, and fish-eating birds also dis- 

 appear. As the amount of Peridinium diminished, the small fishes grad- 

 ually reappear in the open waters (coming either from the bottom or 

 from places where streams enter the bay and render the water unsuitable 

 for the protozoan). The gulls and terns also return. Finally, when 

 the creatures have practically withdrawn, the small fish reappear in 

 myriads. 



A small, salt-water aquarium on the Albatross, containing a number of 

 different kinds of fishes and mollusks from points south of Manila, was 

 in a very flourishing condition when the ship entered the bay one 

 morning several weeks ago, but the same night nearly all the fishes and 

 mollusks were killed, and examination showed myriads of the Peridinium 

 on the gills, etc. The few fishes that survived were rapidly succumbing, 

 until the water supplying the aquarium was strained through a fine- 

 meshed bolting cloth, thus eliminating the injurious organisms. Since 

 then the fishes have been quite healthy. 



During the prevalence of this pest, the Manila markets contain much 

 less fish than normally, and many stalls are entirely vacant. Inquiries 

 among the fishermen show that there is a decided falling off in the catch 

 and that some dead fish are reported in the haclods. The injury done 

 to the fish, however, appears to be much less than might be expected, 

 the known mortality among aquatic creatures being so small as to afford 

 a noteworthy contrast to the ravages of Peridinium in America and Japan. 



AN ACCOUNT OF A HUMAN SACRIFICE HELD BY THE 

 BAGOBOS, DISTRICT OF DAVAO, MINDANAO, P. I. 



A geological reconnaissance of the Island of Mindanao and the Sulu 

 Group was begun by the division of mines of tins Bureau in September, 

 1907. The scientific work was under the direction of W. D. Smith; 

 the military escort which was necessary throughout most of the work 

 was commanded by Lieut. Charles S. Caffery, Second Infantry, United 

 States Army. One part of this work consisted in an expedition from 

 Kotabato to Davao, a distance of over 200 miles, 90 of which were covered 

 by a sternwheel boat plying up the Eio Grande, or Pulangi, Eiver, from 

 where the party traveled overland across the Matutan and Apo Eanges 

 to Davao Gulf. This party formed the second expedition of white men 

 to make this entire trip. 



The region west of the divide is inhabited by Moros, Mohammedan 

 tribes in a semipacified state, and Manolaos and several other pagan groups 

 live in the region on the east of the divide. Several tribes or subtribes 

 are to be found on the slopes of Mount Apo, among which may be men- 



