Bh^ds of Prince's Island. 601 



the roja, I am close to the Papagaio River, and it comes as 

 rather a surprise considering the small size of the island. 

 AVhere we are encamped it must be quite fifteen yards in 

 width. There is not much water in it, presenting now — 

 February the 26th — the appearance of a small Scottish burn. 

 As I write, my camp presents a delightful picture, a pretty 

 spot almost surrounded with luxuriant wood, but here and 

 there, through openings in the trees towards the south, one 

 catches glimpses of mountainous hills, bathed in the 

 wonderful blue which only distance can give. 



At varying distances from our tents the men have con- 

 structed their rough huts of palm leaf, grouped, I might 

 almost say, according to the races, the Hausas in one quarter, 

 the Mendies in another, but all forming an outside ring to 

 the tents, and then when night comes on, each group of men 

 sit cross-legged upon the ground round brightly burning 

 log fires, all in merry mood. . one perhaps amongst them 



holding forth to the others as a story-teller the place 



looks more like a native settlement than a camp. Two days 

 collecting gave us nearly all the known species here. AVe 

 are collecting on an average fifteen birds a day, and Jose "^ 

 is working very well. 



This portion of the island is very well cultivated, but 

 there are still a few patches here and there of forest 

 grow^th. The fruit consists of bananas and oranges, which 

 are rather sour, and avocado pears. A great deal of land 

 where we are has been cleared, that is to say, tall forest 

 trees left here and there, but the ground underneath 

 shorn of everything for the planting of cocoa, so the island 

 in many parts has been bereft of its forestial beauty, 



* Jose Lopez — Alexander's faithful Portuguese collector, wJio bad 

 been in liis service for 13 years and accompanied him on all his important 

 expeditions. Jose, I regret to say, died in West Africa in 1912 of 

 blacliwater fever -vvliile on an expedition with Captain J. J. Brocklebauli. 

 From all accounts he must have been the very model of a collector. 

 Many hundreds of skins, now in the British Museum, bear testimony to 

 his skill as a taxidermist ; while his powers of organisation and his 

 skilful handling of the carriers contributed in no small degree to the 

 succt'ss of Alexander's many expeditions. — 1). A. B. 



