BIRDS OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. 1 9 



diving for pennies, or lining the wharves in a nude condition, hoping 

 against hope for some one to throw them a penny, the tropical fruits 

 of all kinds, and beautiful flowers in full bloom in midwinter, all seem 

 strange at first; but barely a week passes before everything appears 

 as natural as if they had seen just such things every day of their 

 lives. 



Nassau contains a large number of soldiers, most of them colored 

 troojDS \vhich have served in Africa, and nearly all of them are 

 decorated. They promenade the streets with their medals worn 

 conspicuously upon their breasts, filling the natives with awe and 

 admiration ; women bearing oranges, bananas, or sugar-cane walk 

 about or stand upon corners, soliciting patronage ; men, women, and 

 children, having articles of food to dispose of, congregate every 

 morning at what is called the market, and there offer their wares for 

 sale. Fish are brought there alive, and exposed for sale in tanks, so 

 that the purchaser may be sure of obtaining everything fresh. 



Outside of its other attractions, the island of New Providence is 

 of great interest to the ornithologist, as here mav be obtained those 

 exceedingly rare species, Mimocichla pbimbea and Geoihlypis rostra- 

 tus. The former was so exceedingly rare that a short time ago only 

 three or four specimens w^ere known to be in existence. During my 

 visits to the island I observed another species of this family, which, 

 unfortunately, I was unable to procure. G. rostratus is also very 

 rare, and has been classed as a variety of G. trcclia. This would 

 be accounted for by the extreme scarcity of specimens and the diffi- 

 culty of procuring a series for proper examination and comparison. 



