Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-07
IN STRANGE LANDS.
Lieut.. RObinsOn's Interesting Trip
Through Colombia Wilds.

The meeting Monday night Of the Potomac
Valley Pathological Club at it's rooms, i'm
the National College of Pharmacy, on I
street, was one of the most Interesting in
it's history, two entertaining talks being
presented. Owing to the absence Of the
president. Mr.. F. c. Test occupied the chair
The special feature of the evening was an
admirably given off-hand talk by Lieut..
Writ Robinson of the fourth artillery on a
trip he had made to the United States of
Colombia, and it fully illustrated by
maps. photogra phs, dra wings. colored plates
and natural history specimens collected by
him. In the early summer of 1892 Lieut..
Robinson, his wife and brother left New
York for a two months outing, and for
over five weeks were in this little known
part of South America. Before reaching
the mainland they spent few days on the
coral island of Curacao, where they made
considerable collections of butterflies and
humming birds. At Balzonilo on the
coast. they were delayed a few days by
trouble with the custom officials. but occu-
pied the time by rambling through the old
Spanish-Indian town. snap-shotting the
scantily linen-clad natives, who were not
yet used to kodaks. and collecting in the
vicinity, padding about over the overiow ed
marshes, 1t being the close of the rainy sea-
son, in clumsy log dugout canoes.
After a short time they assembled the Mag
dalena river in a wheezy, stern wheeled
steamboat. that crawled up the swift, zig
Tagging river, stopping frequently for wood
and freight. affording the party occas ions
to roam among the novel tropic wealth Of
vegetation and shoot many strange birds
and animals, gorgeously colored macaws
green, blue and red parakeets and parrots
spiny iguanas and lizards, armadillos, the
odd capybaras animals much like cross
between a pig and a rabbit; a couple of tiger.
cats, and barely missed killing a jaguar
The sandbars along the river banks were
crowded with alligators that were bold
enough to seize birds that fell within their
reach before the collectors could pick them
up At one spot Mrs. Robinson discovered
a curious, spherical clay structure in a
bush. and on breaking it open found it to
contain a tiny, ludicrous, poSsum-like crea-
ture. with fuzzy fur and hairless tail, and
only few inches long. 1t became quite
tame. and solemnly played about her state
room, climbing over chairs. tables and
clothing until an overdose from the ink
bottle proved too much for it.
They assembled in the rheumatic era # with
a crew of happy -go-lucky Indians. to Honda
about 400 miles. and then took mules across
the mountains to BOgota, the nations cap
ital. sixty miles away But the lie,ltenan Mt
fell Ill. and the journey was cut short. while
ne conValeSced at the home of a kindly
coffee planter. varying the monotony Of eat
ing the luscious tropical fruits by adding to
his collection of birds that swarmed fear
lessly around and which in several instances
proved to be unknown in museums In Il
few days he collected 1O5 humming birds
OF forty-eight different varieties, darling in
and out among the fantastic and heavily
scented orchid blooms.
The other number on the program was a
paper by Mr.. c. w. Richmond. on King
fishers which he much abridged. but ex-
hibited specimens of several species, show
ing the bright metallic tints of the tribe
and the great variations, from the gaudy.
quick little kingfiSher of Mica ra qua 70 the
dull-colored. awkward laughing jackass"
of Australia.