Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1876-03-06)

ybg Hornaday March/ 76 Port of Spain, Trinidad Monday March 6th 1876 Dear Prof Ward;

    A mail left here on the 8th but

we were quite out of reach of it at the time. A week ago today we went in a small boat up to that chain of islands extending part way between the N-W point of Trinidad and the mainland of Venezuela. We took up our headquarters in the E. side of the largest island - Monua - and were there four days cruising all around. Had very reasonable suc- cess, as you will see by the list. The guachari birds were in caves difficult and dangerous of access, entered only from the sea amid sun- ken rocks and jagged points on which we were twice in peril of being dashed to pieces and losing everything. We had a good guide and two good oarsmen so were bound to have the birds. The first cave we entered was the largest and most dangerous but contained the most birds. These caves are all on the N. side of the islands where the cliffs rise like so many walls, right out of the sea, towering up two to three hundred feet. The breakers there, and big swells roll right into the caves, and entrance is im- possible except at </u precisely > the right </u hour >. The mouth of the first was a about 40 yards long, ^so^ low we had to crouch down in the boat, and so narrow we had to use just half the length of the oars. Two big waves carried us in without difficulty, we jumped in the water up to our waists and dragged the boat up in the middle of the cave. Knowing our