FISH — MILK — FRUITS. 237 



middle of July. During the dry weather, the cascaradura (a 

 pond fish) is also sold in the markets ; it is much esteemed by 

 the natives. 



There is, in addition to the above, a good supply of turtle, 

 principally from the Main ; morocoys, or land tortoises, are also 

 sold during Lent, and at other seasons. 



Crustacea and Mollusca. — The following are in great and 

 general use : — Sea and land crabs, cray-fish, shrimps, lobsters, 

 palourdes, or mussels, cockles, and chipchips ; oysters, although 

 good and plentiful, are seldom offered for sale in the market. 



Milk is not so plentiful as it ought to be ; but it may be had, 

 of good quality, for ten cents a quart bottle. 



Fruits. — In Trinidad are found all those fruits which are the 

 produce of tropical climates : — Bananas (Musa sapientum) , five or 

 six varieties; mangoes (Mangifera indica), in abundance; for 

 the last few years grafted trees have been introduced from 

 Martinique and Cayenne — viz., Heine Amelia, Mangue Divine, 

 sans parielle, Mangue d'or, and Julie (the best of all) ; also from 

 India, the Gordon, the Peter, and the Bombay ; excellent oranges 

 {Citrus aurantium) , five or six varieties; Malacca apples {Eugenia) ; 

 pine apples (Ananassa sativa) ; mammee apples (Mammea Ameri- 

 cana) ; four or five varieties of sapodillas {Achras sapodilla) ; 

 Chili and Governor's plums (Spondias and Flacourtia) ; grana- 

 dillas and water-lemons (Passiflora Alata, P. laurifolia) ; sugar 

 apple, soursops, custard apples (Anona squamosa, A. muricata,A. 

 reticulata) ; three varieties of caimit (Chrysophyllum Caimito) ; 

 musk melons and water-melons (Cucumis melo, Cucurbita ci- 

 trullus) , the former scarce, the latter abundant ; pomegranates 

 (Picnica granatum) ; papaws (Carica Papaya) ; cashews (Ana- 

 car dium occidentale) ; Pommecy there (local), or cytherine apple 

 (Spondias cytherea) ; and several other sorts of tropical fruits. 



Avogado Pear (Persea gratissima). — The avogado or aguacate 

 pear — the latter being preferable as the original Carib designa- 

 tion — is extensively used ; hardly, however, as a fruit, but rather 

 as a sort of vegetable marrow, which term has not inaptly been 

 applied to it. From it may also be extracted an oily substance, 

 which might be brought to serve for various purposes. The flesh 

 of the aguacate pear, when ripe, is remarkably soft, and forms an 

 excellent salad. The process of boiling, however, seems to develop 

 in it a bitter principle, which renders the oil prepared by ebulli- 



