146 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
by negroes who rush them through the streets howling for right 
of way, which is granted without protest. But most of the 
produce is transported on the heads of women, often in large 
trays of baskets which look insecure, but none of us saw any- 
thing drop, although collisions between these crowds of bear- 
ers seemed inevitable. Often two women would stand talking 
unconeernedly, each with a weight balanced on her head which 
would in other places require a fairly strong man to lift. 
We often saw a woman with a contraption like a water-cooler 
on her head, which contained some cheap drink. There was a 
faucet near the bottom and she carried a small cup. When 
serving a customer she held the cup up with one hand, turned 
the faucet with the other, made change, gossiped, and moved 
unconcernedly among the crowds, apparently for hours, with 
the big metal tank balanced on her head. It looked about the 
size of a five-gallon gasoline tank. 
Passing along the streets away from the main business center 
one gets glimpses of the interior of innumerable little shops of 
various sorts. There are many licensed drinking places which 
have none of the allurements of our saloons, and vice here seems 
entirely unadorned. 
In the residence district the streets are confined between high 
stone walls, often capped with broken glass after the English 
fashion. The British exclusiveness robs the casual visitor of 
much of the enjoyment that he would otherwise have in strolling 
along and admiring the numerous gardens and _ park-like 
grounds of which the Barbadians are justly proud. Most of the 
better class of citizens have gardens which seem well cared for, 
and as all sorts of tropical and semi-tropical plants thrive lux- 
uriantly, they add much to the attractiveness of Bridgetown 
and its environments. ; 
The most conspicuous tree is the flamboyant tree already 
referred to, and its great masses of scarlet flowers are in evi- 
dence almost everywhere. The Bougainvillia is searcely less 
brilliant with its vivid display of dense clusters of purple flow- 
ers. Red, pink and yellow hibiscus add their colors to the gen- 
eral effect. Roses grow in profusion, and there are some very 
fine rose gardens. At Mr. Manning’s place and also in the 
garden of Mr. Haynes are wonderful ferneries. 
The royal and cocoanut palms in stately rows line the road- . 
