68 Zoologica: N. Y. Zoological Society. [I; 3 



tons, flying the Venezuelan flag, and under the trusty guidance 

 of Captain Truxillo and the less certain aid of a crew of four 

 men, we left port on the evening of March 24th. 



After an exceedingly rough passage of a night and a day 

 across the Gulf of Paria, we glided with the tide up the broad 

 Caiio San Juan. We passed the inspection of the Commandante 

 of the Ponton guardship, and proceeded as far as our sloop would 

 float at high tide up the Rio Guarapiche. In the row-boat and 

 in curiaras or dug-outs we then reached our port of entry, Cano 

 Colorado, consisting of a custom house or rather hut, together 

 with a few Indian houses. Having secured our permit to cruise 

 along the coast, we spent our time exploring the mangroves 

 which composed the principal part of this whole region. 



At last we disembarked at Guanoco, a small native village, 

 the shipping port for the pitch from La Brea, the great lake of 

 this substance. Here we were hospitably entertained by the 

 Venezuelan receiver- by order of the Trinidad gentleman, Mr. 

 Grell, who was financing the works at this time, and here we 

 spent the remainder of our stay in exploring the surrounding 

 country. 



At midnight of April 14th, we left Venezuela and returned 

 to Trinidad on the large tug used by the Pitch Lake Company. 



The account of the expedition falls naturally into two major 

 divisions, the Mangrove Swamp, and the High Land at La Brea 

 with the surrounding jungle. 



The list of birds is compiled from notes made during twenty 

 days' observation in this region, and represents at least the more 

 abundant species found in this circumscribed area of mangrove 

 swamp and jungle edge. 



The classification adopted is, in the main, that of Sharpe's 

 "Handlist." 



Part II. — The Pure Mangrove Forest. 



General Character, Flora and Fauna. 



The real coast of the portion of Venezuela which we 

 traversed is shut off from the open gulf by a vast region of deep, 

 blue-black mud, covered with an impenetrable jungle of man- 

 groves and no other terrestrial plants. For mile upon mile one 

 paddles through a region of pure culture mangroves — a forest of 

 a single tree. These mangroves are in all stages of bud, flower 

 and fruit, and are most interesting, both as land-makers and 

 land-conservers. Deep channels intersect this area, cutting it up 

 into islands of smaller or larger size, the larger channels being 



