FLORIDA AND THE WEST INDIES 255 



couta of perhaps fifteen or twenty pounds. Captain 

 Benson promptly bought the successful fisherman's 

 tackle as it was, for, I think, a shilling, only to lose 

 it within five minutes in the rocks. 



At La Guaira the ship's company received a 

 most interesting addition in the shape of eight 

 humming-birds and a large number of troupials and 

 starlings, sugar-birds and other small Venezuelan 

 fowl, which Captain Pam was bringing home with 

 him as a present for the Zoological Gardens. It 

 may be remembered that this gentleman succeeded 

 a year earlier in bringing home the only humming- 

 bird ever shown alive in London. It reached 

 England in November and lived just eighteen 

 days. On this occasion, starting with so many in 

 the best of summer weather, he reasonably hoped 

 for better results. Everything was arranged for 

 their comfort on the voyage. By the kindness of 

 the Captain, the now disused Forrest wireless 

 telegraphy house on the spar-deck, vacant after La 

 Guaira, was turned into a floating fragment of 

 their native jungle. Untiringly Mr Pam fed and 

 tended his delicate little favourites for a fortnight, 

 looking carefully after their change of water and 

 stock of syrup, and feeding them by hand when 

 they seemed backward to take nourishment. Many 

 times I went the rounds with him. One died of 

 cold ; a second apparently succumbed to exhaus- 

 tion ; a third fell in the drinking-trough and was 

 drowned ; a fourth starved to death from some 

 injury to the fragile muscles of the tongue, which 

 we were unable to relieve. Before, therefore, we 

 were in home waters their plight was approximat- 

 ing that of the Ten Little Nigger Boys, but 



