A TRIP UP THE ABARY CREEK. 
By Craupe W. E. Humpnrys. 
About the middle of November, 1910, I was detailed for survey work in the 
Abary Creek, so well known among sportsmen throughout the colony, and I 
looked forward with much interest to a pleasant and sporting time. I was 
absent about seven weeks in all, and shall try and recount some of the experiences 
I had during that period. It must be remembered, however, by my readers, 
that I mention only the sport obtained whilst travelling and whilst not 
engaged on work as time and opportunity did not allow me to hunt as much as 
T should like to have done, and on Sundays I felt too tired to go for long tramps 
through the savannahs, after having wo ked the whole week. The general 
landing places for boats going up the Abary are either the public road or rail- 
way bridges. Sometimes it is a little difficult to obtain boats in the creek, and 
often you have to hire them from Mahaicony, and let them be brought up the 
Abary by the waterway connecting the two creeks. 
After passing the Railway bridge, you see some forest on the left bank, whilst 
there is savannah extending on the right. One may often see the ‘ baboon ” 
(Mycetes seniculus) on the left bank of forest whilst travelling. After about 
an hour’s pull you meet open savannah extending for miles on either side of the 
creek. The vicissi duck (Dendrocygna discolor) is here often seen in flocks of 
thousands, and they are more plentiful in the rainy and heavy weather than in 
the dry season ; in the latter, the negro cop (Mycteria americana), Heri (Huxenura 
maguari), the blue and white cranes (Ardea cocoi and Ardea egretta) and the 
smaller species such as the curlew (Numenius hudsonicus), pika (Totanus melan- 
oleucus) and long-leg (Totanus flavipes) are always met with in great quantities. 
There is therefore great variety of shooting which extends from the Railway 
bridge to the first stopping place, Tiger Island, wheze the Abary Plantation Com- 
pany have a nice house and one may rest comfortably. It is a good day’s 
paddling by boat to the above place, but if you want to indulge more freely in 
shooting, and you have plenty of time to spare, it is best to make it a two days’ 
journey. Continuing onwards from Tiger Island, you pass the pumping stations 
of Plns. Bath and Blairmont, the next day’s camping place being at Manjapo 
creek, where you will get some of the best Lucannani (Cichla ocellaris) fishing 
you could wish for. I was able to land twenty-four nice ones here, in just 
over an hour. A little below here, at a place by the name of Copeman creek, 
there is plenty of Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) and you are sure to 
get excellent shooting in this creek. The Manatee (Manatus americanus) 18 
also frequently met with. The next day will bring you to the Andabo creek, 
a large tributary on the left bank. You do not as a rule obtain much shoot- 
ing between Manjapo and Andabo creeks, but immediately after leaving the 
latter one must be prepared for anything. It was soon after leaving the 
ereek mentioned that I killed my first Maipuri (Zapirus americanus). While 
going slowly up creek just at day-break the dogs gave tongue in a reef on the 
left bank about one hundred and fifty yards away, and immediately after I saw 
