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From The Philippines

From The Philippines image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
February
Year
1888
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

[From a letter wrltten toy Prof. J. B. Steere tu IiIn wlfo, lu thla city, we are permltted to oopy the followlng coplous extracU, whicb 111 Interest a large number of people In thla vlclulty who are familiar wltU the cutiré party of exploren.]- Ed. Zamboanga, Nov. 26, 1887. We carne to this place on TlianksgivInjr day, and had tor 00 r dinner Spanixb llttle-breads, hard andtough and bitter!! and bananas. We have been receiving slnce and I packlng up. Some of the party will probably start for Cotobalto tomorrow, but I have concluded not to go, but to collect and pack here for the nexi three weeks, and then go on up to lic Ho and await the party there. I tliink I can raake my time protiuble hen' iti collecting coráis andother sea life. I nin In the best ot health of any one of the party, and nmcli belter than when I left home. Mr. Mosley was attHCked at Basilau with a liLt form of ferer and atine, and at flrst was deterinined not to takeany quinine, but flnally ave In and I broke the fever the flrst time tryinn. He is terribly yellow and bilious, but is gaining lu healtti and strength every ilay iiow. Mateo is sick mm-, and I had to Iaugh over the request to hlm to care for me and ïny health, for the care has been all theother way. He has gone down to Ayala to wait uutll the party is readv tb move again. He can be with his relativcs and at the ame tiiuc be doing nomething for the collection. Mateo umi I got In Basilau 336 birds, among thein the specie wtiich I f. mini here bef ore, and several other new ones; also 20 mam mals, among them three deer, a wild boar, SKVeral galeopithews, monkeys, squlrrels, bats, and a curlous little taniiger. Theu I got a few good sea shclls and a good collection of coráis. I never saw so many coral. I went with a boat at low tide, put on an old pair of boot and waded over a reef of living coráis for half a mile selecting such as I wantod, with wblob I tilled the boat three thnea, and collected between 50 and 60 species. Oh such a sight, great groves of branchng madredoras and hemispheres of articulates and mussas, and leaf like pavonias, s-oaie of them are thin as puper, and the funny flat toad stool coruls lying around among the rest with here and there a great mass of organpipe coral; the coral itself dark red, but the polypes of the species found here straw yellow. Some of the species we havo got are so flne and delicate that I don't know how I am to be able to pack them, but will try some way. I brought them acioss in open boxea with green leaves among them to keep them from breaking. The boys also collected a fine lot. I overheard Frank Bourns saying he wished he liad a part of what would be left over on tlie home Tbanksgiving table. Frank and Worcester are just now sullering very much from the heat and ulceration. Worcester cm hardly walk. A few dny's rest will straighten them out. I sulfer some in the same way, but not so much as forraerly. I will have to teil you what we had for dinner to-day. First we had hot bread, soupiUvored with garlic, then (el plato) a disli with some pork and beef and cabbage and garbonsos, (a kind of lield pea) boiled together and served together. Then tough tongue stewed in oil, then tough buffulo beef fried, then some salad of lettuce and a few little tomatoes and and slices of radish in oil and vinegtir; cott'ee without milk, and bananas. Sunday, Dec. 4. Well here I have been in this old fouda for over a week. Meantime I have packed the boxes for home, mostly with coráis, some with sea shells, skeletons, etc. I prevailed on the boys to give up the trip we had planned to Cotobata, as looking at the thing in all llghts I did not think It best. I was especlally goyerned by the question of health. The rest or the party is near Ayala, Mateo's old home, and I shall probably follow tomorrow. I receiyed a letter recently from Dr. J. G. Keves, at Cnnton, you will remember my description of hlm and his wife. He has mar id ag.iin a mlssionary lady, Miss Noyes, whom I knew. He invites us to visit him on our return; I also got a letter sonie time ago from Mr. Mackay, of North Formosa. He is well and prosperlng in li is work. Gave us all au Invitation to come to Nortii Formoea and stop witb him. Hesays the Chinese preachers retnember me and Invite me to return. If I go on as I have done I shall have an enonnous collection when I get back with notes of habits, etc, which will help niui'h in working them up. I am trylng to have all the party remember tbat they are not simply collectors but stuclents as well. They are all dolng well. We h ive now nearly 2.000 Pliilipplne birds collected, and of this Muteo and I have a full 1,000, at this rute I sliall iirobsbly take back over 3,000 birds alone. On board Francisco Keycs Steamer, Dec. 18, 1888. lam unclertuking to write on the deck of the steamer, and the wind is blowing, and I dou't know how successfull I shall niake it. Monday, after my lust letter, Kiteban, one of Mateo's folk's, ( after me with a boat, and 1 went down to the Hecodo or Caldera, a little bay just a little toward Zamboanga from Dumalon. We found two or three houses of Chtneee, one of which we hired, and I found the boys hard at work colltcting coral, and on Tuesday was at it myself. Mateo renmined with his brother Pedro after birds. I found the coral vory abuodant, and sor.n had a fine lot. There was a vilUge of Moros alongthe Recodo, and when they found we wanted coral.", they began collecting and I bought several dollars worth, and had a little point which extends down into the bay corered with half cnongh to load a big ship. Then Mateo carne down and I began selecting and boxing, using ipa, which Is rice chttíf, for packing. I think the varicty wasgreater than even at Basilau, at least the Moro's in their desire to make a little money scoured the place, so that with what we got ourselves we cune close to 100 species. A good number of them I never saw before. The boys did not buy so maar, but still got a fiue collection. Mr. Mosley epent most of his time hunting. He was not strong enough to do a great deal, we got all packed we could, and I hired a big boat and put in my boxes and then enough Oorals to 11 1 1 11 more boxes at Zamboanga. The boys hired smaller bouts, and we returned to Zamboanga on the 15th. Worcester had been failing in health for some time, and came down just as we returned with an attack of congestión of the llver. Dr. Alia niy old friend, gave him some medicine and he Is now better, but still terribly yellow and weak. The rest of us have been putting In our time as well as possible in boxing, inarklng our collections, and last niglit we got everythlng on board, nearly a car lond, and embarked and bade Zamboanga am the southcrn Pliilipplnes good by. We have had about three mom ha and a hal: of collectlng, and are now 5J2 months from home- overa third of the timegone Wln'ii I tliink of what I have planned to do the time seems very short, but whon I think of home itseems a greatdoal longer and I am anxioiis for it to pass rapidly away. We shall probably be two weeks in Hu Ilo and vicinity, and then move on to Zebu. I am in grand good heulth have no trouble with my liver nor nc sigus of malarliil trouble. Frank Bourns is ulso ia strong heallh, and Mateo ia now wt'll agaln. Moseley is recovering and able to work, and Worcester is also getting better, but they do not seem to be calculated for this climate. This letter will probably reach you about Peb. 15. Just think of it ! uearly spring. ] eau hardly realize you are now in the midst of storms and snow. I dream frequently of being with you. Do not be anxious 011 my account. The dangers ol sea and land are not so greut as painted, and the season for typhoon is over. Nlne nioi j tli is a good deal less than üfteen, and we shall soon be on our way limar

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News