Both Caldwell and I lost from fifteen to twenty pounds in weight during the time we hunted the blue tiger and each of us had serious trouble from abscesses.  I have never worked in a more trying climate—­even that of Borneo and the Dutch East Indies where I collected in 1909-10, was much less debilitating than Fukien in the summer.  The average temperature was about 95 degrees in the shade, but the humidity was so high that one felt as though one were wrapped in a wet blanket and even during a six weeks’ rainless period the air was saturated with moisture from the sea-winds.

In winter the weather is raw and damp, but collecting then would be vastly easier than in summer, not only on account of climatic conditions, but because much of the vegetation disappears and there is an opportunity for “still hunting.”

Trapping for small mammal is especially difficult because of the dense population.  The mud dykes and the rice fields usually are covered with tracks of civets, mongooses, and cats which come to hunt frogs or fish, but if a trap is set it either catches a Chinaman or promptly is stolen.  Moreover, the small mammals are neither abundant nor varied in number of species, and the larger forms, such as tiger, leopard, wild pig and serow are exceedingly difficult to kill.

While our work in the province was done during an unfavorable season and in only two localities, yet enough was seen of the general conditions to make it certain that a thorough zooelogical study of the region would require considerable time and hard work and that the results, so far as a large collection of mammals is concerned, would not be highly satisfactory.  Work in the western part of the province among the Bohea Hills undoubtedly would be more profitable, but even there it would be hardly worth while for an expedition with limited time and money.

Bird life is on a much better footing, but the ornithology of Fukien already has received considerable attention through the collections of Swinhoe, La Touche, Styan, Ricketts, Caldwell and others, and probably not a great number of species remain to be described.

Much work could still be done upon the herpetology of the region, however, and I believe that this branch of zooelogy would be well worth investigation for reptiles and batrachians are fairly abundant and the natives would rather assist than retard one’s efforts.

The language of Fukien is a greater annoyance than in any other of the Chinese coast provinces.  The Foochow dialect (which is one of the most difficult to learn) is spoken only within fifty or one hundred miles of the city.  At Yen-ping Mr. Caldwell, who speaks “Foochow” perfectly, could not understand a word of the “southern mandarin” which is the language of that region, and near Futsing, where a colony of natives from Amoy have settled, the dialect is unintelligible to one who knows only “Foochow.”

Travel in Fukien is an unceasing trial, for transport is entirely by coolies who carry from eighty to one hundred pounds.  The men are paid by distance or weight; therefore, when coolies finally have been obtained there is the inevitable wrangling over loads so that from one to two hours are consumed before the party can start.