I LIGHT THE FRAGRANT FIRE. 123 



The floods of rain seemed to have started floods of 

 music out of the throats of the birds, for all were sing- 

 ing, all were giving thanks for the coolness and the 

 verdure. The effect upon the vegetation was magical, 

 and in a few days a most wonderful garb of green 

 crept over the face of IS'ature. Fruits of all kinds as 

 well as leaves took a start, such as mangos, sapadillos, 

 cashew apples, and Jamaica plums, which made im- 

 mense development. 



One immediate effect of the rain was a crop of 

 mosquitoes which I had not noticed before, and the 

 frogs, hitherto silent, were now croaking, chattering, 

 whistling, in every gully and ravine. 



These frogs make a great variety of sounds ; for 

 several nights I was kept awake by the cries of some 

 animal I could not discover, and, though I searched 

 frantically for it, not until my patience was nearly ex- 

 hausted did I discover that it was a frog, rods away, 

 its shrill, penetrative, yet plaintive notes seeming close 

 to my door. 



The rains awakened all the frogs in creation, it 

 seemed to me, and they all united in giving intermit- 

 tent concerts, chiefly nocturnal ; and, judging from 

 the din and confusion, they were indulging in orgies 

 deep and tremendous, letting off the accumulated en- 

 ergies of the long months of dry weather in a grand 

 explosive outburst. There were frogs that whistled, 

 plaintively and shrilly ; frogs that yelled in demoniac 

 frenzy, " Wow, wow, wow, wow ! " singly and in chorus ; 

 and frogs that ejaculated with precision, every two 

 minutes, " WTiang^ wang, wang ! " like the twanging of 



