42 JOURNAL OF THE TRINIDAD 



birds.* Gay butterflies seem to exult in the open space provided 

 for them in which to display their gaudy colours. At night the 

 opossum, or manicout as she is commonly called, often laden with 

 seven or eight clinging little ones, revenges herself for the inva- 

 sion of her domains by raiding the fowl roosts or stealing plan- 

 tains. Heavy boas creep forth from drains and thickets on the 

 watch for any living thing which can be stowed away in their 

 capacious stomachs. But although these creatures have not been 

 driven from their old haunts and have profited rather than lost 

 by man's invasion and destruction of their sylvan fanes, there are 

 others who wage persistent, unrelenting, never ceasing warfare 

 upon the products of his labour and who organize great invading 

 armies into his territory, in token of their never relinquished 

 claim to that which he has wrested from them by right of superior 

 force, a right to which all other wild things have acquiesced. 

 These stern but tiny opponents are members of the insect world, 

 and it is to the parasol ants and ants and insects in general that 

 we intend to devote ourselves this fine but showery morning 



With this object then we three, members of this Club — Mr. 

 Albert Carr, the owner of the plantation Itcarrdonum, Mr. F. 

 W. Urich and myself took our cutlasses, knives, tweezers, a 

 plentiful supply of pill boxes, tobacco tins, and small bottles, 

 chloroform, Arc, and sallied forth through the little pasture and 

 across the felled tr^e which constitutes the somewhat slippery 

 bridge over the sluggish stream, reduced to almost its lowest 

 point, but after heavy rains a boiling rushing river which under- 

 mines banks and sweeps away all before it. Then through the 

 well-kept promising young cocoa amongst which we noted many 

 kola plants ; then skirting the bank of the river again, keeping a 

 wary look-out for the snake so well described, if its name applies 

 only to his poisonous powers " the atrocious one " — but perhaps 

 it is a misnomer — this lovely morning disposes us to regard kindly 

 even the Mapepire barcin, for he only uses his dread powers in 

 obtaining his livelihood, or in self-defence. Fortunately, Ave did 

 not tread on one — unfortunately we did not see one, although 

 they are to be met here sometimes. Mr. Carr pointed out a 

 place where an iguana! had been seen scooping out a hole in the 

 bank in which to lay her eggs ; also where not so very long ago 

 he and his brothers, who are the mighty Nimrods of the quarter, 

 had sm*prised a school — one hardly knows what to call a litter of 

 baby alligators^ — fierce little things ready to fight to the last. 



* Of humming birds Iere possesses no less than seventeen species ; 

 probably there are several more. 

 f Didelphys marsupialis, L. 

 I Probably Iguana tuberculata. 

 § Alligator sclerops. 



