294 Six Weeks in Southern Mindanao. 
took boats and paddled over to the bay. The water was very 
clear, and we could see plainly to a depth of twelve or fifteen feet. 
Most of the corals seem to grow above this depth, and most of 
the species here were within a few feet of the surface, and many of 
them exposed for some time at each tide. The quiet waters 
seemed to be especially fitted for the more delicate species of 
Madrepores, Pavonias and Stylasters. Many of these would break 
of their own weight on being taken from the water. Scattered 
among the stems of the branching forms were a large number of 
species of Fungias. Near the shore were whole reefs of most deli- 
cate Madrepores and millepores, which would break by dozens at 
each step as we waded over them, but the broken branches kept on 
growing, attached themselves to their neighbors, and the reef 
would be firmer than ever. As soon as the Moros found that we 
would pay for sea stones, they showed a greater desire for grandes 
than even the natives of Ayala had done, and there were soon a 
dozen boats over the bay coral fishing, while the women and girls 
were wading the reefs to find something that would suit our taste. 
In this way we got many species which would have escaped us. 
Even the chief of the village got out his boat, and diving down 
into about thirty feet of water, brought up specimens of a tree-like 
Oculina, with stems as thick as the wrist, and very heavy and jet 
black. He complained of a headache, but on being well paid tried 
it again next day. We bought and collected corals by the boat- 
load and spread them upon the sand point to dry and bleach in the 
sun until we had a ship-load, when we set to work to classify and 
select such as we could pack. We roughly estimated the species 
procured at this place ata hundred. Among the novelties was 4 
curious little Fungia not larger than an old copper cent, but with 
the curious faculty of readily breaking into pieces, when each 
part would build itself into a disk again. Every storm would 
serve to multiply them. We found the packing a much greater 
job than collecting, but the villagers turned in and tore up cocoa- 
nut husks, and this, with rice chaff, furnished packing material of 
good quality. After two weeks of collecting, studying and pack- 
ing we returned to Zamboanga and took the next steamer for the — 
Central Philippines. 
