6 



possible to help and to protect. 



The town of Mud in is surrounded by high mountains. Hear the twon the 

 vegetation is very poor. I would say almost semi-arid. To secure much here, we will 

 have to get off and work the high mountains that surround the town. The nearby 

 hills are rather badly deforested. 



The people here are very friendly, and so much so that it makes a burden 

 and interfers to some extent in collecting. They crowd into the room and visit 

 so much that it wears me out, and all but prevents me 



I bought a white bear skin for about $5.00 gold, but it has neither claws, ears, 

 nor tail. I'll try to get a better one. 



I am invited to a dinner by the head magistrate tomorrow at two o'clock. I'd 

 prefer to be out hunting but it would not do to turn down the invitation by a 

 magistrate. 



V..,/* 



We are getting lots of insects. 

 I am very tired and sleepy. 



If this collecting trip is successful, it will not be because it is easy. It 

 is as hard as any trip that has been taken. But we will try our best to succeed. 



We can not mail packages at the post off ice. We cannot buy oil paper to cover 

 specimens with. We cannot buy nails to nail our boxes with. Practically all the 

 houses and furniture here are made without nails. 



June 29. This morning I climbed the mountain with four hunters each having 

 one hunting-dog. Several times we passed very near the edges of sheer precipices, 

 and the man who was leading said to me, "Be careful, there is a sheer precipice 

 below." We climed a very steep mountain, and the man who was carrying my load 

 lagged far behind. I merely supposed he was weak. When he finally reached the 

 top, he lay flat on his back, panting for breath. He soon left us, and went back 

 to the village of Mupin. Later he claimed that we passed the spot where his father 

 fell over a precipice and was killed, and meditating on this fact made him so ifeajc 

 that he could hardly carry his load. % did not see any wild mammals. I was given 

 a feast by the head of the local militia, and all the officials and dignitaries 

 of the city were present. After this I went hunting and netting. 9 killed nine 

 birds today. Yang Fong Tsang and Chen Gib Uen are spending the night on a high 

 mountain netting* trapping, and shooting. They will return tomorrow morning. To- 

 morrow I am invited to a feast by the magistrate, who is very friendly. He has 

 sent orders to all the officials to give me every help possible. We are going 

 farther west day after tomorrow, July first. Later we will go south of here. 



I think we are getting more insects than we ever secured on a collecting 

 trip before. We have not secured many first-class birds yet. This afternoon I 

 secured five birds at four shots, one a fly shot at a very rapid swallow. There 

 was a hard wind tonight, so we did not "get manv insects by means of the lantern. 



The hunters and their dogs received as their presents two postal cards each, 

 and ?/ere well satisfied. 



