6 TIMEHRI. 
The most delicate shades of green, yellow, cream, olive, 
rose and ruddy brown are conspicuous everywhere, and 
the graceful manner in which the flaccid leayes hang 
adds greatly to the effeét. Unlike the beauty of the 
autumn tints in temperate climates however, this is not 
so uniform in regard to time nor does it last so long. 
As before stated the spring lasts but a short time, in 
some cases apparently only afew hours. After, or some- 
times before the new foliage, come the flowers, and these 
are accompanied by clouds of butterflies, bees and hum- 
ming birds, which are also charaéteristic of spring-time 
in the tropics. Sometimes flocks of butterflies may be 
seen crossing the Upper Demerara River at this season, 
whereas at other times hardly a single one can be found, 
A few ripe fruits still remain on some of the trees and 
these afford subsistence to flocks of parrots and other 
frugiferous birds. Later will come a time when only 
green fruit is to be had and then the birds wander far 
and are difficult to find. 
Following this short spring-time comes the summer. 
The awakening to the new course or cycle takes place 
in February or August, and these months are as a 
rule more or less showery. The summers which follow 
are however very distinét from each other, that of the 
first cycle being decidedly wet, while the later season is 
the driest in the year. As might be supposed this tends 
to modify the growth of the plants so that the fruit 
crops differ somewhat. ‘lhis is well exemplified in the 
mango and bread-fruit.* During the years 1889-91 
their seasons extended from November to February and 
~ * T have to thank Messrs. W. T. Binnie and Chas. R. Bevaun for 
statistics of the quantity of fruit brought to the markets of Georgetown 
and New Amsterdam. 
