TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENOES. 281 



chamber of the tower, from 

 ■whence the cannon and rifles were 

 discharged in case of necessity. 



One of the illustrations shows 

 the outside appearence of this an- 

 cient tower and some' of the rock 

 houses, with several Mexican 

 Senoritas in front of their dwell- 

 ing, ready to go to church at the 

 close by Mission "Espada," a 



toms, rarely seen nowadays in the 

 huts of the poor. 



In olden days, as stated, and 

 yet, in softie districts around San 

 Antonio, Mexicans kept a number 

 of sheep- and goats around their 

 corrals, along the hilly regions ; 

 and a photoview herein represents 

 one such Mexican goat farm cor- 

 ral with young goats, situated be- 

 yond Laurel Heights, and close to 



A Provisional Mexican Altar at Mexican Village Near San Antonio 



• separate photo view of which is 

 hereby presented. Also, I in- 

 ' elude herein an old original photo- 

 view of a Mexican altar, prepared 

 in one of the ancient Mexican ja- 

 cals diiring Christmas time. The 

 photo was taken during a then 

 existing small pox epidemic; and 

 the view is a very interesting and 

 typical relic of the Mexican cus- 



the old Bexar County Poor House ; 

 and another view shows part of a 

 Mexican village with a typical 

 Mexican bread oven, of oval shape 

 made of white or yellow adobe 

 earth, with rocks plastered along 

 'its irounded ^wajUs. Such ovens 

 are used to bake bread and cakes 

 candy and other Mexican dishes, 

 and thev seem to be very useful 



