plies hetween Laguna and the middle Usumacinta river, and car- 
rying along witicus the Ituna's gasoline launch we arrived the 
next day at the entrance to the Rio Chiquito. Here the launch 
was brought into use, and passing pon the latter stream and 
into the narrow canal-like branch called Catasaha we reached 
at night-fall the head of launch navigation. This day's journey 
was rendered memorable by the occurrence of several novel neds 
dents. Animal life is exceedingly abundant in and along all of 
these winding streams, and increases as the soutene are ap- 
proached. Turtles, alligators, lizards, fish and birds were con- 
stantly in view. Vast numbers of cranes, herons, flamingoes, 
cormorants, kingfishers, hawks and the like were assembled to 
prey upon the fish, which are very plentiful and so bold as to 
be troublesome to travelers by water. One variety of fish of 
large size, weighing in some cases as much as fifteen or twenty 
pounds, and called by the natives the "Sabalo," was addicted to 
jumping, and in the er water fairly boiled with them. 
Their spring was so powerful and at such eccentric angles that 
it was dangerous to remain near the sides of the boat. Mem- 
bers of the party were struck with such great force that we 
were glad of the opportunity to tie up for the night before a 
group of squalid Indian huts. ‘Taking a dugout canoe from this 
point, the Catasaha lagoon was entered in the early morning, 
: 
: 
and a landing was made on the muddy margin of the south shore. 
From this point the village of Las Playas was reached by a walk 
of three miles over green meadows which, during the wet season, 
q are covered by the shallow waters of the lagoon. At this pleas- 
“4 
Bh is Moana 
