Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1876-02-25)

                                       5                      Feb. 25, 1876

Plenty of </u bower Brownii >. Cat - fish, Bill-fish or </u gar-fish > on Mr Wildeboer's list, and many smaller species. Am told Hawks-bill turtles come in often, but have seen none. Will try to get some.

    Mr Jackson, the young Trinidad gentleman

whom you talked with on the "Golden Fleece", and myself went up the Caroni River today in a small row boat on a general hunt. Found plenty of small Caiman, but no large ones whatever. We killed five, and took the skin of one old, tough fellow, 5 ft long only, and the skulls of two others, The other two were too badly shot to be of use. As I remember you do not want Cainran particularly. But this is a species new to the Establishment, and I think them well worth getting, i.e. one or two skins & 1 or 2 skulls. I do not know the species - never saw any specimens like these before. But the genus is </u Caiman > anyhow. They are entirely different from the Florida alligators. Saw no crocodiles, nor any mammals. We rowed up ten miles from the mouth. The Caroni is the largest river on the Island.

    I visit the markets every morning bright

and early, and am getting divers wires to working for getting things, </s in > and in a few days more the bread (and grog) we have cast upon the waters will return to us in some shape or other. We have not got enough while here to make a list of, but will include everything next time. We have lodgings in the Enterprise Hotel @ .50.c per day each, & take our meals at home, or where we please. Our chief living is oranges, of which we bought 27 today up the river, for ten cents,