April 10, 1885. 



SCIENCE. 



291 



(the onty material yet examined) comprising 

 thirteen new species and two new sub-species. 

 On the 24th the photographer, Mr. N. B. 

 Miller, was sent in the steam-launch to visit 

 the plantation of Mr. J. B. Anduze, in the 

 southern part of the island, some twelve miles 

 away. Mr. Miller's report, which is forwarded 

 with Capt. Tanner's (noticed in No. 113) de- 

 scribes the shores as generally low, with a 

 notable exception occurring at the mouth of 

 a creek, five miles from San Miguel, where 

 the shores are bold enough to allow vessels of 



The natives were bright mulatto in com- 

 plexion, with long, straight, coarse black 

 hair ; neater and more intelligent than those of 

 the village of San Miguel. The men were 

 short, not over five feet four inches in height, 

 and wore scanty black beards : the women were 

 neatly dressed in loose white gowns. This vil- 

 lage differed from others visited, in its unusu- 

 al cleanli- 

 ness, and Tir 

 in the fact 

 that the — > ^ v i. : 



AGE ON THE ISLAND 

 COZUMEL. 



eighty 

 tons to 

 lie alongside to load. 

 His part}' was landed 

 through the surf on 

 the backs of Indians, 

 and rode to Mr. An- 

 duze' s plantation upon ponies, through a dense 

 forest closed in by interlacing vines so as to 

 shut out the sun, and agreeably remarkable for 

 the absence of buzzing insects. The planta- 

 tion was about a mile and a half square, en- 

 closed by a high stone wall. It abounded in 

 bananas, plantains, pine-apples, corn, ginger, 

 oranges, and lemons, but seemed to be care- 

 lessly or inefficiently cultivated. The main 

 house was stone, with a thatched roof, sur- 

 rounded b} T five large sheds arranged in a 

 square. 



Near b}- was a small Indian village of some 

 fifty huts, but only thirty families. The huts 

 were of the ordinary single-room type, with 

 hammocks triced up against the roof in the day- 

 time ; the floor of cement, raised about a foot 

 from the ground, and kept scrupulously clean. 



cattle 

 were not 

 allowed to 

 run loose, 

 but were 

 p e n n e d 

 up with- 

 in high 

 stone- 

 walled en- 

 closures. 

 Some of 

 the older Indians knew no Span- 

 ish, and all were acquainted with 

 the native dialect. 



The small Roman - Catholic 

 le village had fallen into ruin be- 

 curious circumstance. Some re- 



church of 

 cause of a 



markable spiritualistic manifestations had taken 

 place there several years ago, and as a conse- 

 quence the whole village had become a commu- 

 nity of spiritualists. It would be interesting 

 to know whether this remarkable conversion 

 was the result of missionary effort, if there be 

 any such among spiritualists, or arose from 

 indigenous 'manifestations.' 



On the edge of the village are the ruins of a 

 large structure, supposed to have been a tem- 

 ple, which both Indians and whites declare to 

 date beyond the Spanish conquest. Nothing- 

 definite could be learned, beyond the legend 

 that Cortes had landed there and destroyed 

 the building before going to the mainland. 

 The ruins could be traced over about half an 

 acre, now covered b}' large trees. Only a cen- 

 tral tower, or part of it, is now standing. Into 

 this there is but one entrance, opening into a 

 narrow, vaulted room. Markings were noticed 

 on the plaster covering the walls, and stone 

 hooks cemented to the same. Within a radius 

 of half a mile are the ruins of many stone arches. 



