94 CONTENT. 



of the river itself visible at intervals, winding like a 

 silver thread through the dark morass. 



The rocky hill-side below the house is thickly 

 studded with fruit-trees, principally consisting of the 

 luscious and juicy Sweet-sop {Anona squamosa), but 

 mingled with Oranges and Limes, all greatly mul- 

 tiplied by self-plantation. Some trees grow among 

 them apparently for ornament ; the brilliant scarlet 

 blossoms of a Coral-tree [Erythrina), and its equally 

 showy seeds, display themselves at the different sea- 

 sons here ; and just below the window is a fine Moringa 

 or Horse-radish tree {Moringa pterygosperma), where 

 we may see the various species of Humming-birds 

 buzzing round and round, like bees, all day long, 

 and at all seasons of the year, within a yard or two 

 of our face. 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



I had left England with high expectations of the 

 richness of the West Indian entomology : large and 

 gaily-coloured beetles, I supposed, would be crawling 

 on almost every shrub, gorgeous butterflies be filling 

 the air, moths be swarming about the forest-edges at 

 night, and caterpillars be beaten from every bush. 

 These expectations were far from being realised ; a 

 few species of butterflies, chiefly Pieris, CaUidryas, 

 Terias, Heliconia charitonia, Argyrmis ■passijiorce, 

 and A. Delila, Cystineura mardania, and one or two 

 NymphalidcB and Lycmiada, are indeed common 

 enough at all times, and in almost all situations ; 

 others are abundant at a particular season or locality ; 

 but in general butterflies are to be obtained only 



