A Uolhhvi in the ^^'e.■it Indies. 
beard," which grows like seaweed on i\w trunks; they are 
cafchiiig the tree ants, large red ants whieh make their 
nests in trees, and pass up and down tlie trunks in regular 
paths al)Out an inch wide, the Blue and Palm Tanagers pass 
up and down also catching these insects. The Black Tanager 
is very common all over the Island. I caught a hen in a 
very peculiar way. While watching some Manakins feeding on 
green berries about the size of hazel nuts, growing on quite a 
large tree; I noticed a hen Black Tanager, fly straight at a 
fruit similar in shape to and about the size of a William pear, 
the skin of which is tough, and the inside very acid, she evi- 
dently used too much force, for her bill and forepart of her head 
was imbedded in the fruit; in a very few seconds when I saw 
the fix she was in I had secured both her and the fruit, and 
after removing the fruit I was surprised to find the feathers at 
the base of the beak were still abhering to the fruit. I made a 
note of the name of this nice-looking, but, bitter fruit and regret 
having mislaid it. This particular bird is now in my aviary. 
What is really required for catching birds here is a i^urse 
net; if one of these nets say 15 feet square on poles, and 
guy ropes were fixed (juite near one of the ti'ccs or l)erry 
bushes on which I have seen upwards of one hundred 
Tanagers, Manakins, etc., feeding, all that would be required 
would be to fire a gun or even throw a stick or other 
missile at the tree on the other side, and I have no hesitation 
in saying that they could be so caught unhurt by tlie score; 
as it is they are limed, the trees are very thick, and the 
branches being very close, the natives can easily climii the 
trees, and lime them, their captures are either put in a 
bag, and hung round their necks, or in their pockets. I watdied 
one nigger catch five Desmarest's Tanagers (CaUidc dcs- 
m,arcsti). Two of them were crushed to death, one had a 
broken wing, and another had a broken leg, either wilii rough 
handling when removing the lime or being cruslicd wlien 
descending the tree. The other appeared to be all right Imt 
was dead the next morning. The Desmarest is a very handsome 
species, being of a beautiful grass green, with wings and nape 
washed with golden -green; the head is rich rufous -chestnut: 
inner webs of wing primaries, and quills, and also the tail 
feathers, excepting the two outer ones, bronzy-l)rown ; l)ill 
