346 



The National Geographic Magazine 



beautiful closing of the day. The sun 

 had gone behind the distant mountains 

 in a golden glory, and as the rich after- 

 glow slowly faded the mellow sound of 

 vesper bells came floating across the 

 water. Then a brilliant array of stars 

 came out and the black shore line 

 twinkled cheerfully with village lights. 

 We slept in the boat, and were awak- 

 ened on Christmas Day by the calling of 

 flocks of wild geese as they took wing 

 at the first glimpse of dawn. We found 

 here the white-fronted and snow geese, 



marsh. The magnificent volume of 

 sound from beating wings served as a 

 background for the shrill clanging of 

 the geese, and all united to produce an 

 inspiring outburst of nature's music. 

 In the afternoon we were delighted by 

 the discovery of a colony of Mexican 

 cormorants, nesting in a line of scattered 

 bushes growing in a shallow part of the 

 lake. As the nesting habits of this bird 

 were previously unknown, this discovery 

 was as fortunate as unexpected. By re- 

 moving our clothing and wading waist 



Photo by Scott 



An Indian Woman Weaving with a Primitive Hand Loom, Lake 



Chapala 



with more than a dozen species of ducks, 

 besides various other water birds. The 

 geese and ducks were present in vast 

 numbers, and, as we advanced into the 

 marshes in a small boat, they kept re- 

 treating by short flights, until finally 

 they became massed in such numbers 

 that there seemed no more room for 

 them. Then they arose, thousands upon 

 thousands, until the air was heavy with 

 the mighty thunder of countless wings, 

 and the horizon blackened by the hurry- 

 ing forms moving to distant parts of the 



deep through the mud and water ahead 

 of the boat, we secured photographs of 

 some of the cormorants before they flew. 

 There were many nearly completed 

 nests, only a few of which contained 

 eggs. 



From Lake Chapala our route lay 

 southward through the mountains away 

 from the railroad, so that we were ob- 

 liged to outfit for the trip by purchasing 

 saddle horses and pack-mules and hiring 

 a Mexican mule-driver. On the mules 

 we carried our bedding, clothing, cook- 



