110 A Holiday in the West Indies. 



were already looking for a meal. How the poison would 

 eflfect them we did not wait to see. AVe returned to our friend's 

 house, and commenced cutting bananas and amusing ourselves 

 generally in the Cocoa Plantation close to the house, while 

 the younger members of the household went catching birds 

 for me; they got quite a cage full of Tanagers and Finches. 

 These I carefully conveyed to our Hotel to add to my fairly 

 largo collection there of about 200, and then came the sight 

 we did not wish to see. As we drove along the coast we 

 sav/ our ship anchored in the ofFmg, and knew tliat within 

 24 hours we should be ploughing our way home to the doMr 

 old country, and what was worse still for mo lo icor/:. Tlie 

 next morning found me l)nsy packin.^' my l)ir<]s and traps, and 

 after a good lot of tipping got them safely aboard, then came 

 the ordeal of interviewing the Biilcher. I had four cages 

 each four foot long, and several smaller ones. A wink and 

 bottle, of Black and While did the trick, and 1 got my birds 

 safely stowed away in the spacious l)utcher's sho]), whicli was 

 about six feet square. I now had to bid farewell to all the 

 good fellows I had met, which is rather a strenous ordeal in 

 a hot climate where one can always raise a thirst, and the 

 Homeward bound Mail Steamers' sailing day spells holiday 

 for the young bloods of the Island, and this [ think was a 

 red-letter day for them but rather a costly one for us. 



Now a few lines about bird keeping al)oard ship, which 

 is no sinecure, as to do it properly and succeed in landing 

 your captives means do it yourself. I religiously attended 

 to them twice daily, cleaning all cages out once daily, fed and 

 watered them and took out the dead ones, but, I must say 

 all went well with mine until we reached the Azores, when 

 in the middle of the night a gale sprang up, and the cages 

 were thrown about the butcher's shop. The cage containing 

 my choicest Tanagers which was on top sulTered the worst, 

 it was broken up and I lost every bird in it. They were 

 Desmarests, Vieilotts, Spotted Emeralds and I believe three 

 different Manakins; they were a beautiful lot. The cages 

 were of course put square before I .saw them, but the death 

 roll that night was quite 100 birds, This was very disap- 

 pointing and I can assure you I almost wept. I now set 

 to and made all the cages fast and secure. The gale raged 



