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even if the whole outfit I have with me were lost, I would be able to go right on collecting. I also left the automatic 22 rifle at home, bringing another higher power small rifle of my own instead. [[underline]] Note. [[/underline]] This was later lost.

We start every day at daybreak and sometimes are up until eleven o'clock or later at night taking care of specimens. This means that we generally get too little sleep while travelling.

July 7. The mountain goat killed yesterday kept us up till very late, so all were very tired today. In addition, we had a long hard journey over rough roads. The country was semi-arid with few specimens. The fine spirit of my Chinese helpers is a great comfort. They work hard, do anything, and do not complain. Two of them are our family table boy and our coolie, the skinner, and the third is the netter Chen[[superscript]] 2 [[/superscript]]. Number four is an aborigine, a Chuan Miao, whom I am putting through school. He is a fine hunter and he and I are the hunters. I also have a net [[underline]] alone [[/underline]] ^[[along]] and net insects and catch any reptiles, etc. that I can.

This Songpan trip is a hard trip. I may not see a foreigner until I reach [[underline]] Chengtu [[/underline]] again. 

July 8. Because the cablegram from the Smithsonian Institution reached me so late, the time for this trip is too short and I must make every day count. I have not lost a day of travel, even on Sundays, since I left Suifu. For that reason all of us are tired but do not intend to stop. This territory is so interesting that there should be a much longer time for the trip, but we will do everything we can. I think we will secure specimens not found in other parts of Szechuen.

This is probably the lonesomest collecting trip I shall take, for I shall probably not see another foreigner until I reach Chengtu.
 
July 10. Small birds 75 - 78 were noisy but hid in low underbrush.

We are just passing out of the semi-arid region with few birds and few insects to the interesting higher region, with birds, insects, and all kinds of game.

[[underline]] Lots of fleas. [[/underline]]

I walk all the time while collecting.
  1. to save expenses.
  2. Because I can be on the alert and collect specimens better.
  3. It hardens me for the hard climb coming later.