My ambition was fired by his stories and when in the spring of 1886 he announced his intention of returning to the Philippines the following year to take up and prosecute anew zooelogical work which he had begun there in 1874, offering to take with him a limited number of his students who were to have the benefit of his knowledge of Spanish and of his wide experience as a traveller and collector, and were in turn to allow him to work up their collections after their return to the United States, I made up my mind to go.
I was then endeavouring to get through the University on an allowance of $375 per year and was in consequence not overburdened with surplus funds.

I however managed to get my life insured for $1500 and to borrow $1200 on the policy, and with this rather limited sum upon which to draw purchased an outfit for a year's collecting and sailed with Doctor Steere for Manila.

Two other young Americans accompanied him.

One of these, Doctor Frank S.Bourns, was like myself afterwards destined to play a part in Philippine affairs which was not then dreamed of by either of us.
We spent approximately a year in the islands.

Unfortunately we had neglected to provide ourselves with proper official credentials and as a result we had some embarrassing experiences.