58 SEA FISH OF TRINIDAD 



allow himself to be rowed to the landing place at Pointe 

 Baleine. Once ashore the services of either the watchman or 

 boatman can always be engaged in the capacity of guide, as 

 it is but twenty minutes' walk to the big Cave, as it is called 

 in contradistinction to the small caves with which Pointe 

 Baleine is honeycombed. 



Having landed, after a few minutes' walking up and down 

 an undulating limestone path, thinly covered with red earth 

 generally known as Gasparil red mud, but in true parlance 

 the decomposed lime oxide of centuries, we, at a given point, 

 turn off the — what is facetiously called the "King's road," 

 and wend our way through tall waving grasses (panicum 

 maximum or guinea grass), gradually becoming more tim- 

 bered as the path runs uphill, here and there huge Ceibas or 

 silk-cotton trees (Eriodendron anfractuosum), evergreen 

 Matapalos (Clusia) with their magnolia-like flowers, and the 

 Savonette (Sapindus Saponaria), with its pretty blue clusters. 

 On the left hand side can be seen a nimiber of rubber trees 

 (Manihot Glaziovii), which were put in the ground some 

 eight years ago. They have not been of any profit so far, but 

 the vegetation is wonderfully luxuriant, considering the fact 

 that they have been planted in the limestone rock, with but 

 a thin topsoil of himius and lime oxide. Truly, the Ceara 

 will grow well in the most inhospitable soil as regards plant 

 food. For an aesthetic eye, and keeping in view the unique 

 nature of the Bocas vegetation, the outlook here (in the wet 

 season) is perfect. Green, each leaf is green, in every shade 

 of that colour the trees and shrubs grow, the Cereus, Cacti of 

 different kinds, agaves, bromelias, and pitcairnias — while 

 overhead the Seguines (Philodendron) and Aroids interlaced 

 among the Matapalos seem to find nourishment even in the 

 "Scotchman," as the Matapalo or tree-killer is locally 

 named ; while the trees with white and purple flowers resem- 

 bling the hawthorn and sweet-pea form a pleasing variega- 

 tion to the different shades of green. Owing to the thick 

 undergrowth it is generally impossible to get a view of the 

 Gulf, unless as occasionally happens some industrious and 

 enterprising boatman has cleared the land a bit to make him 

 a garden, and then a fine view rewards the visitor — the Gulf 



