HENDERSON, John B. (1870-1923). The Cruise of the Tomas Barrera. The Narrative of a Scientific Expedition to Western Cuba and the Colorados Reefs, with Observations on the Geology, Fauna, and Flora of the Region. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1916. Octavo. (7 15/16 x 5 1/4 inches). Frontispiece. ix, 320pp. 36 full-page photographs (31 black-and-white, 5 colored). 1 folding map at rear. Original blue publisher's cloth, title and decoration stamped in gilt on front cover, top edges gilt. First edition of this report detailing a scientific investigation of marine life on the Colorados Reefs, located along Cuba's northwest coast. In 1914, Henderson, a member of the Smithsonian's Board of Regents, set out on an expedition to western Cuba and the Colorados Reefs to study the land and marine life of that region. His research was supported by President Menocal, the President of Cuba at the time, and Dr. Carlos de la Torre, a professor at the University of Havana and a noted Cuban naturalist at the time, joined the six-week expedition made up of Cuban and American researchers. This book contains the results of their work and is made up of diary entries and field notes. Among the specimens collected was the colorful land snail, and the expedition led to the discovery of regional flora and fauna not previously documented.