EIGENMANN: the freshwater fishes of BRITISH GUIANA 



51 



Mr. Shideler started down for Georgetown at 11:00 A.M. of the 19th, with three 

 of the Indians. He collected about Potaro Landing, in the Botanic Garden, at 

 Bartica and near Morawhanna, Issorora, etc., of the northwest coast. The crew 

 who remained with me was divided between two boats. One boat, the "balahoo," 

 was dispatched at once with the goods, while a few of the Indians, with William 

 and myself, stayed till the following morning. 



We started after the other boat on the 20th, at 6 A.M. It rained hard. All 

 hands pulled with all their might on this, the home stretch. We reached the regular 

 camping site at 3:00 P.M., but all the Indians were anxious to go to Holmia, which 

 they said they could make in three hours. I was willing. By a supreme effort 

 the three hours were cut down to two hours and twenty minutes, and at 5:20 P.M. 

 we reached Holmia. 



Holmia is the trading camp of the Essequibo Exploration Company. The 



Fig. 19. Looking up the Potaro Valley from the brink of the Kaieteur Falls. 



company has a store and depot surrounded by a few Indian huts. It is situated 

 on the Potaro at the entrance of the Chenapowu river. My crew of Indians went 

 out at once to collect poison, the root of a plant called "hiari" {? Lonchocarpus) 

 under the guidance of the local Indian, Jordan. The Indians of the surrounding 

 regions brought me fishes and we ourselves poisoned a small creek just below the 



