Todd-Carriker : Birds of Santa Marta Region, Colombia. 43 



luck was good they would return between three and four in the after- 

 noon, loaded to the gunwales, and then there was pandemonium let 

 loose in the village — singing, shouting, whistling, and laughter, while 

 everyone big enough to handle a knife turned to the task of cleaning 

 the fish for drying, which would usually consume half the night, the 

 remainder of which was usually given over to dancing and drinking. 



Practically all the shooting in the region of Trojas de Cataca was 

 done from a canoe, the shores of the Cienaga at this season of the 

 year being inundated for miles inland. Herons, terns, and ducks were 

 abundant, while the forests were filled with screaming parrots and 

 howling monkeys. Occasionally a manatee was seen at the mouth of 

 the river, but it was not secured. Trips were made up and down the 

 shores of the Cienaga and the streams flowing into it, as far south as 

 th'e Rio Palenque, which enters the Cienaga nearly at its southern end, 

 .and is really the Rio Fundacion with the addition of several other 

 streams. October 3 to 14 was spent in this section, and one hundred 

 and fifty specimens were taken, the majority of which were large 

 aquatic forms. 



Following our return from Trojas de Cataca practically no work 

 was done until January of the following year (1914), when the trip to 

 the Sierra Nevada proper was undertaken. On January 10 the writer, 

 accompanied by Mrs. Carriker and a native Colombian assistant, left 

 Santa Marta, going overland with pack-mules to Don Diego. The 

 trail is a trail in name only, and was found to be almost impassable, 

 so much so that three and one-half days were consumed on the trip to 

 this place, where we arrived at dusk, after thirteen hours in the saddle, 

 tired, hungry, and covered with bites of black flies, sand-fiies, mos- 

 quitoes, and ticks, the latter of which were still attached in myriads 

 to our persons. A hurried rubdown with kerosene removed the ticks, 

 after which a delightful sea-bath somewhat restored our flagging ap- 

 petites, and a good supper with suitable refreshments provided by our 

 genial host. Monsieur Barbier, completed the restoration. The whole 

 north coast and lower slopes, up to 3,000 or 4,000 feet, contain more 

 insect pests to the square inch than any place in Colombia known to 

 the writer, excepting some portions of the Atrato basin; and Don Diego 

 proved to be no exception to this rule. The attacks of the flies and 

 mosquitoes can be prevented to a certain extent by the liberal use of 

 " dope,'' but the wood-ticks could not thus be avoided and were a 



