On the Upper Berbice River. 315 



4 — 



the grander growth of the cokerite (Maximiliana regiaj, 

 with their most intensely vivid refleftions in the dark 

 water. But to one familiar with such scenes, so closely 

 similar or comparable in the different rivers of the 

 colony, they are marked by a monotony which hardly a 

 rare luxuriance of flowering plants by the riverside can 

 relieve. Not unfrequently one meets with dense flower- 

 ing clusters of the golden allamanda or some other 

 scandent plants ; at close intervals are seen the peculiar 

 plume like flowers of the wild cocao (Pachira aqua- 

 tica), with their large ovoid pods ; while the flaming 

 inflorescences of the supple jack or coupa (Norantea 

 guianensis), or the chandelier-like clusters of ilftzrcr^r^za- 

 via, occasionally rivet one's attention. 



In the neighbourhood of Coomacka, the main upper 

 tributaries of the Berbice are met with ; these are the 

 Wieroonie below, and the Wickie and Etoonie above, 

 the first and last of which drain a large extent of the 

 alluvial sandy savannah country on the West bank, 

 while the Wickie has its watershed between the Canje 

 and the Berbice in a forest-clad plateau. With these 

 exceptions the creeks met with are small and unimpor- 

 tant, and but for the Kibiribirie creek some twenty- 

 five miles above Coomacka, to which the Dutch used to 

 resort for the benefit of its cold waters, and the Youa- 

 courie creek some fifty miles further, along which is 

 situated the path commonly used to reach the Demerara 

 river, they are scarcely worthy of mention. 



The greater part of the first day's journey (Monday, 

 September 15th) was spent along the Wickie creek in a 

 vain attempt to procure Indian hands. The chief settle- 

 ment is the Arrawak Mission station of Calcuni, where 



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