PREFACE 



THE following chapters are an expansion 

 of a diary and field notes written 

 every evening during our cruise. There 

 are likely some errors in the conclusions 

 set forth, for no student of nature is infallible. 

 It is the province of each generation of naturalists 

 to correct the mistakes of the past. 



To all the members of the expedition — especially 

 to Dr. Carlos de la Torre — and to various specialists 

 of theU. S. National Museum staff, I am indebted 

 for valuable assistance. To Mr. C. T. Simpson 

 I owe thanks for the identification of plants. Fi- 

 nally I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Bartsch 

 for his keen interest as well as his aid. 



The large amount of material collected by the 

 expedition is now being critically studied and 

 the results will eventually be published in the 

 Smithsonian Reports. 



Since the preparation of the manuscript, we 

 have heard with much sorrow of the wreck of the 



