SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I93I 57 



Collecting was not good at Tumatumari, so, in a boat loaned ns by 

 Michael McTurk, a local settler and trader, we went up the river and 

 then walked to Minnehaha, a gold-dredging station, and remained 

 there a week as guests of Allan Humphreys. Here a number of rep- 

 tiles and one sloth were secured. On our return to Tumatumari we 

 raided the Indian village for pets, and brought away several parrots, 

 finches, and chachalacas. 



The head of the Boundary Commission, Mr. Cunningham, arrived 

 at Tumatumari at this time and gave us permission to return down 

 the river in the boat that had brought him np. The down trip took a 

 day and a half, with a night's camp at Rockstone, where we stayed 

 in what was formerly a thriving hotel but was then entirely deserted 

 and stripped of furniture. Rockstone is just above the rapids of the 

 Lssequibo and in times past was a way station for Wismar on the 

 Mackenzie River some 19 miles distant. By going overland to Wismar 

 and then down the Demerara River the rapids could be avoided, but 

 the little overland railway is now abandoned. We continued in our 

 launch down the river to Bartica. The ride was interesting but not 

 especially exciting until we noticed some wreckage in the river and 

 later learned that two boats preceding us had been wrecked and 12 

 men had been drowned. After that we had more respect for these 

 rapids. 



Returning to Georgetown we were invited by Mr. Rucker, mana- 

 ger of the Bauxite Mines, to visit him at Mackenzie, 65 miles up the 

 Demerara River, where we were taken on a Bauxite Company's 

 steamer. Mackenzie is a model tropical village, each house with great 

 screened verandahs and all modern sanitary conveniences. In addition 

 to the genial hospitality of Mr. and Mr. J. S. Rucker, we here found 

 numerous people willing and able to help us in our collecting. People 

 began bringing birds and animals into camp, so we decided to make 

 this our headquarters for the rest of our stay in Demerara. Mr. Lowe 

 took up his residence in the clubhouse of the community. This had an 

 open basement under it — an ideal place for keeping animals ; and there 

 lie spent the next month, collecting, making cages, and caring for the 

 stock that was brought in. 



Mrs. Mann and the writer returned to Georgetown and from there 

 left immediatelv on a small but comfortable river steamer maintained 

 by the government, going about 70 miles up the Pomeroon River to 

 1'ickersgill, the site of the Pickersgill saw mill, and moved into the 

 government rest house. Pelham Young, manager of the saw mill, had 

 notified Mr. Lee, his resident manager, of our coming and had had 

 his own private system of electric light installed in the rest house, so 



