Page Fourteen 



riding. We were two days getting in, the second day being 13 hours in 

 the saddle and arising at 3:00 a. m. to start by moonhght. 



"We have made our base at Porlovelo and an ideal base it makes. 

 We were very graciously received and given a house to ourselves, a 

 concrete structure with elec ric lights, running water, shower bath, 

 distilled water and ice delivered daily, and not at all what one might 

 expect in the wilderness of Southern Ecuador. It is all the result of the 

 push and initiative of the Americans, however, and the company deserves 

 great credit for their model mining camp. There are twenty-odd Ameri- 

 cans employed there and several hundred na.ives. The mines were first 

 opened by the Spaniards in 1540 and have been worked off and on ever 

 since. By the way, my address will be, care of the South American De- 

 velojiment Company, Guayaquil, Ecuador, all the time I am dpwn here. 



''Things are very expensive at Portovelo because everything must 

 be carried in over this steep trail, a trail that fords the Rio Santa Rosa 

 twenty times in the first six hours out and climbs up to 6,300 feet before 

 twelve hours are passed. I saw steel cable go in to the mine, one piece, 

 loaded on thirteen mules, single file, each mule with a few coils on its 

 back. Local products are not so dear; we get sugar for §.07 to S.IO a 

 pound, while a bottle of aguardiente is about S.17 gold. 



"We worked about Portovelo for a week and then made our first 

 camp in the coast range at 5,400 feet where we have now been for some 

 twelve days. We return to our base this next Thursday. We are getting 

 a fine lot of specimens and if we are as fortunate during the remainder of 

 the trip we shall have a wonderful collection. Wish you could have sat 

 down to dinner with us the other evening, the day I got into a troop of 

 howler monkeys and bagged four. The ones we a'te were delicious. 



"Cherrie is a dandy to be in camp with and we get along fine. Our 

 hours are a little long on the front end, that is we get up about 5 each 

 morning and help lift the sun up over the mountains; but then on the 

 the other hand 8 p. m. is scandalously late for us to be up." 



Apropos of Mr. Anthony's remarks concerning the Sou^h American 

 Development Company, the feeling of appreciation seems to be mutual. 

 Officials of the Company, on receiving acknowledgment of the Mu- 

 seum's gratitude for their splendid cooperation wih the Ecuador ex- 

 pedition, sent a warm expression of esteem for the members of the 

 expedition. They s'a'ed that excellent addresses made by Mr. Cherr.e 

 on Roosevelt's trip to Sou'h America and Mr. Anthony on mammals 

 had been greatly enjoyed by the Company's employees. 



