22 
April 18, 1941. Friday, Forenoon? Accompanied digging parties to 
rise of ground between lagoons; under shadow of and beside red rocks. Captain 
and one of sailors assisting helped with getting land shells. Captain also got 
a centipede. A great many snakes were flushed among rocks, grass, and brush, 
but sailors were a little leary about grabbing them. If anything, the officers 
were more shy than sailors but, inhibitions notwithstanding, in the coiiple of 
days at James the crew got me two striped snakes, fine, large, and well fed 
appearing specimens. A lot of digging was done, on six, site Callaghan had 
started to escavate. Under the "red" rocks standing up in isthmus between 
the lagoons seemed to me a most likely place, but the rock had so rityy-rw 
disintegrated that much of what must have been a formidable peak (obelisk) 
had tumbled down. One piece almost as large as the one standing lies at its 
base. As the thing looks to me—in the 128 years intervening enough disinte¬ 
gration of the red rock has taken place to furnish not the huge masses that 
one deposited about the remaining pinnacle and many others of various lesser 
sizes, but also a lot granular ioil 6 to 8 feet deep (perhaps) in places so 
that all traces of the grave, if any, have become wholly obliterated or at 
least covered up. All other ideas notwistanding, under the pinnacles between 
the lagoons seems the logical and best naturally marked (prominent) place for 
a memorable site. 
By the way, the lagoons were full (very full) of water, and the 
northern (I would say eastern) one is very large, wide, and much too deep to 
wade, than when I was here in ’38; then it was knee deep all the way across 
and, moroever, v/as divided into two by a sand arm. This all now explains 
the complete absence of flamingos to me, the water is much too deep for the 
birds to feed on the bottom, as is their wont; and also any nesting sites (if 
any here) favored by them were inundated. Wonder how nesting season compares 
to dry or rainy season? 
