150 VOYAGES OF A NATURALIST 



several hours we saw no signs of either mangrove 

 trees or parrots, and I began to think that our 

 journey had been in vain. Presently, however, 

 we reached a small farm, where we stopped for 

 a short time at the invitation of the owner. This 

 man told me that every morning, shortly after 

 daybreak, the parrots came down to his land to 

 feed on the fruit of the guavas, and that only an 

 hour ago he had seen several. We thereupon 

 started off again, and after an hour's walk came 

 up to the mangroves, a belt of tall trees about 

 half a mile in length. Before we reached them 

 the discordant cries of the parrots were plainly 

 heard, and presently a party of them flew across 

 the path. We entered the wood, and, after wait- 

 ing a short time, I shot a fine adult bird. It was 

 very handsome, the feathers of the upperparts 

 being green, edged with black, the forehead white, 

 and the underparts of a rich crimson, banded 

 with black. 



We obtained two more parrots on our way back, 

 and finally got on board the ship late in the after- 

 noon after a most successful and enjoyable ex- 

 cursion. 



It is somewhat remarkable that Grand Cayman 

 should have a peculiar form of parrot, while Little 

 Cayman is inhabited by a Cuban species. This, 

 however, is one of many cases in which isolation 

 produces a new form or species. Some species 

 of birds appear to change more rapidly than 



