March 27 Summary and Analysis

Early in the morning, the collecting party sets off in the skiff to the inner bay at Puerto Escondido to do some collecting. At first it is dark, and near dawn they see some civet-like animals near the shoreline, which disappear into the mangroves. Near the entrance to the bay, the ocean water mingles with the bay water and the number and variety of specimens increases greatly due to the wide variety of habitats and niches there. Steinbeck mentions again how painful it is to collect in the Sea of Cortez because of the many stinging, cutting, spiny, biting species there. One sea-anemone stings them very badly here. However, this one location provides a good cross-section of the species they have seen so far.

Afterwards, the boat sails for the port city of Laredo, where they are eager to see a...