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The Cruise of the Tomas Barrera

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The Cruise of the Tomas Barrera THE CRUISE OF THE AS BARRERA " 3. l'.:ENi:"ESOH w THE TOMAS BARRERA Santa Coloma From a photograph by Rafael B. THe Cruise of the Tomas Barrera The Narrative of a Scientific Expedition to Western Cuba and tHo Colorado* Reefs, with Observations on the Geology, Fauna, and Flora of the Region By John B. Henderson Author of "American Diplomatic Questions" With 36 Illustrations and Maps G. P. Putnam's Sons New York and London Zbe Iftnfcfterbocfter press 1916 Copyright, 1916 BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Ube Tftnicfeerbocfeer press, Hew JSotR PREFACE THE following chapters are an expansion of a diary and field notes written every evening during our cruise. There are likely some errors in the conclusions set forth, for no student of nature is infallible. It is the province of each generation of naturalists to correct the mistakes of the past. To all the members of the expedition—especially to Dr. Carlos de la Torre—and to various specialists of the U. S. National Museum staff, I am indebted for valuable assistance. To Mr. C. T. Simpson I owe thanks for the identification of plants. Fi- nally I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Bartsch for his keen interest as well as his aid. The large amount of material collected by the expedition is now being critically studied and the results will eventually be published in the Smithsonian Reports. Since the preparation of the manuscript, we have heard with much sorrow of the wreck of the iv PREFACE Barrera at the Lena Keys during the hurricane of last August, with the loss of three of her crew. The same storm destroyed the house of the fine old man at Cape Cajon, and no trace of him or his family has been found. The family of the light- keeper of "Roncali,"at Cape San Antonio, who extended to us such cordial hospitality, were also killed by collapse of their house, and the wireless tower is destroyed. J. B. H. Washington, D. C. January, 1916. — CONTENTS PAGE Introductory . i CHAPTER I. Overland to La Esperanza . 14 II. La Esperanza .... 41 III. Esperanza to Cayo Hutia . 48 IV. Cayo Hutia and the Reef . 55 V. Santa Lucia to Azucar . 69 VI. Pan de Azucar .... 79 VII. Azucar to the Coast . 103 VIII. Santa Lucia to Dimas . .112 IX.—To Santa Rosia and Santa Maria . 118 X. Santa Maria to Los Arroyos . 125 XI.—Los Arroyos . 137 XII.—Los Arroyos to Punta Colorado . 141 XIII. Cape Colorado to Cape Cajon . 147 XIV. Cape San Antonio . 153 XV. Lena Keys to Guadiana Bay . 212 vi ILLUSTRATIONS The Tomas Barrera . Frontispiece Royal Palms along a Roadway . 14 Ceiba Tree on the Road from Pinar del Rio to Vinales .... 16 On the Way to Vinales . 18 A Typical Mogote of the Vinales Region 22 Vinales and El Tumbadero 26 Vinales ...... 28 Cove of Delight 32 Dr. Carlos de la Torre . 38 La Chorrera ..... 42 Spiny Lobster and Squirrel Fishes . 58 Mmandra areolata Showing Expanded Coral Polyps .... 60 Rock Beauty (In Color) 72 A Mogote near Vinales Showing Sierra Vegetation ..... 86 Cuban Todi (In Color) 92 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Balistes vetula Linnaeus (In Color) . .104 Mouse Fish (In Color) . .126 A Shore Party about to Leave the Schooner 154 The Patron Collecting Sponges . 160 PYLOPAGURUS D1SCOIDAL1S IN DeNTALIUM SHELL I78 Cuban Trogon (In Color) . 194 La Fe ..... 216 Typical Cuban Village in the Sierra Country 220 The Cab of Martinez 224 Dos Hermanos. Sierra de VlNALES IN THE Background 226 The Tick-eating "Ani" Bird . 228 A Native Bohio in the Vinales Valley . 230 The Cuban Plow. Vinales Valley. Walls of West Face of El Tumbadero in Background ..... 232 Portion of El Tumbadero, about 800 Feet Elevation . -234 " " Rodriguez . and the Maja . .236 La Puerta del Ancon .... 246 The Mimosa Tree at San Vicente Bano 248 ILLUSTRATIONS IX COSTANERA DE SAN VlCENTE—SOUTH ELEVA- TION ....... 252 guajaibon ...... 262 The Guide "Pablo" 286 Royal Palms ...... 288 Ficus Trees along a Country Roadway . 302 MAPS Diagrammatic Section across Pinar del Rio North and South in about Longi- tude OF VlNALES, TO SHOW WARPING OF Strata and Subsequent Erosion . no Idealized Sketch of Shore . 127 Cape San Antonio • 154 . Vinales Region . 224 . 266 Route to Guajaibon . Route Map At End The Cruise of the "Tomas Barrera" Introductory SIX weeks' cruise along the northwest coast of Cuba and among the Colorados A Reefs for study of the land and marine fauna and flora, and its salient geological features, was the outcome of an original plan for a single object only. For some years, as opportunity offered, I had been making collections of marine mollusks in Southern Florida from shore stations to the hun- dred fathom line. This region of the Florida Keys is faunally Antillean, and the identification of the large amount of material secured necessitated a study of the entire marine molluscan fauna of the West Indies. There is no thoroughly satisfactory collection of these Antillean marine shells of moderate depths in the United States and doubt attaches to the identity of many of the species CRUISE OF THE BARRERA originally described by European authors. The types of these, that is to say, the actual specimens described, are in Europe, and their descriptions and figures are often inadequate and faulty. A real desideratum then was a full collection of Cuban marine mollusks to compare with those of Florida from similar depth zones. In March, 1914, I consulted with Doctor Carlos de la Torre in Havana about the details of such a collecting trip. In his opinion the richest field would be found among the Colorados Reefs of Western Cuba, extending from Cape San Antonio to Bahia Honda, where, within their living coral breakwaters, a large expanse of shallow protected sea would likely favor a flourishing marine life. An additional feature of interest attaching to this particular region lay in the fact that it is uncharted and to the naturalist almost unknown. Oppor- tunity for some real exploration, and for possible discoveries of interest, would greatly enhance the pleasure of a visit to the Colorados, and we were delighted with the thought of untouched coral reefs, unvisited islands, and many hundred square miles of crystalline tropic waters. Besides all this, exceptional opportunities for shore work and INTRODUCTORY collecting upon the northern slopes of the Sierra de los Organos would be presented,—localities of rich possibilities that had been denied us upon previous inland collecting trips, on account of their inaccessibility from the south or land side. Dr. Torre found that one of a most attractive looking fleet of white fishing schooners, anchored under the walls of Cabanas fort, could be char- tered. With great and unexpected generosity the owner, Raoul Mediavilla, placed the newest and best, the Tomas Barrera, at our disposal. This offer involving equally the generosity of her half owner, Gaspar Pellicer, brought to our use a splendid boat and crew, with a skipper-pilot thoroughly familiar with the waters we wished to explore. The owners positively declined to accept any charter price or remuneration whatever, leaving to us merely the cost of provisions. Thus materialized our dreams of a naturalists' cruise in Cuban waters. It was like seeing burst into full flower a cherished plant one had long and tenderly nurtured. With the ample proportions of the schooner and the possibilities of a much greater range of work than originally contemplated, Dr. Torre and I CRUISE OF THE BARRERA proceeded to enlarge the scope of the expedition by inviting other naturalists to join the party. Mr. George H. Clapp one of the directors of Carnegie Institute of Pittsburg, my enthusiastic companion of many collecting trips, was already preparing to leave for Havana by May 1st. Dr. Paul Bartsch, Curator of the Department of Marine Invertebrates of the National Museum at Washing- ton, accepted an invitation to accompany us, and his connection with the expedition at once added new importance to the undertaking. Dr. Bartsch is a veteran collector of great energy and skill and is one of the best all-around field naturalists living. His chief object in joining the Barrera company was to make as extensive collections as possible of the entire fauna of the region and particularly for use in the exhibition series in the new National Museum building. An attempt is being made by the museum authorities, in the public exhibition series, to retain the precise colors of all specimens that must be kept in preservative fluid. Pigments have beto found that are insoluble in alcohol, but the problem still confronts the preparators to employ the exact shades of color. Many of the marine creatures desired for exhibition purposes, INTRODUCTORY possess such delicate shades of coloration that the most carefully taken color notes of the collector in the field fail to furnish the preparator with the exact data required for the high standard set by the museum. To meet this difficulty Dr. Bartsch proposed taking a skilled preparator along, who, with his paints and brushes, should be on hand ready to treat desirable specimens before their colors could fade. George W. Gill, of the museum staff, was detailed for this work. An invitation was also accepted by Charles T. Simpson of Miami, Florida, to join us in Havana. He was a valuable addition to our company in that he is an expert in two specialties. He was formerly, for many years, connected with the Division of Mollusks in the Smithsonian at Washington and is a collector of wide experience. He is especially conversant with the land shells of the Antilles, gained by several collecting trips, with the writer, to Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba.
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