ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF CARIBBEE ISLANDS. 447 



looked at a distance of about five miles. This slope had been cleared 

 by the ancestors of some half a dozen families of French colored people, 

 and was planted fifty years ago with coffee trees ; but now was overgrown 

 with grass and wild trees. On all sides were high hills covered with 

 the almost impenetrable forest. As the only collector Avho had visite^l 

 this or any other island had not visited the mountains, but had merely 

 examined the shore and the easily reached cultivated valleys, I knew my 

 attention would be better directed to the wilderness, and that my only 

 opportunity for rare or new birds would be among the half-civilized 

 people of the mountains. The results have shown the correctness of my 

 plans, and have been fully shown in the several catalogues prepared by 

 Mr. Lawrence, from my notes and collections. In this region I obtained 

 not less than five new species and two new varieties : The Thryothorus 

 rufescens, Dendrceca phmihea, Myiarchus oheri, Vircosylvia calidris var. 

 domlnicana; Ckaetura dominicana, Blacicus hrunneicapillus, and, later, in 

 September, the Strix fiammea var. nigrescens. As the more extended 

 notes of my collections are already in manuscript for the catalogues and 

 some already published, I will not refer to them here. 



In April I returned to the coast, and, having left my specimens (200 in 

 number) with a friend, to be sent to the States, started again for another 

 part of the island, over the mountain ridges to the Atlantic coast, among 

 the Caribs. It is a two days' journey, as I had to take it on foot, and 

 several rapid swollen streams had to be crossed. All my baggage was 

 carried upon the heads of my mountaineer friends, of whom I had four, 

 three girls and a man. At the last house before reaching Indian coun- 

 try, five miles distant, I was hosi^itably entertained by the planter, who 

 also secured me a comfortable hut from the natives. 



As my space is here limited, I can do no more than rapidly sketch 

 what would require many pages of description. Suffice it to say, that I 

 found the Caribs of to-day different from the Gharaibs of one hundred and 

 fifty years ago, as described by Pere Labat. They speak a French ^mtow 

 and are good Catholics, and through the influence of the French priests, 

 who make them monthly visits, they have been compelled to intermarry 

 with negroes to such an extent that the individuality of the Carib is 

 gone. There are not more than twenty families of uncontaminated 

 blood in the island. These, with a few in St. Vincent, comprise the whole 

 of the remainderof the many thousands found in these islands by Colum- 

 bus. A few old m en and women only can speak the ancient Carib tongue ; 

 from these I obtained a good vocabulary, which, by comparing with an- 

 other I secured in St. Vincent, I found to be correct. The Caribs are 

 more peaceful citizens than the negro, more cleanly and intelligent, but 

 not a whit more industrious or virtuous. They subsist by fishing and 

 cultivating i)rovision grounds in the mountains, but very few of them 

 follow the chase. I remained with them six weeks, secured many valu- 

 able photographs, and many notes respecting them of value to the eth- 

 nologist and lihilologist. I was prostrated by fever ui)on my return to 



