Thü Crabs' Makcii. 853 
S5G. Arter staying here four days I liad recovered siinieieutly to 
allow of my contiuuiug the trip, I accordingly left Kuamuta and the 
Carib country onee more. The current soon carried us down to the 
mouth of the Arapiacro where however 1 did uot find my friend 
Blackburn: he had accepted the management of Plantation Caledonia 
on the lower Ponieroon. As I had to return here in any case I got the 
old negro who had charge of the unoccupied building to let me have the 
keys, and I opened up my collections in the upper rooms. 
857. Next morning I proceeded furtlier down the river. The veg- 
etation on the banks became gradually more and more uniform and 
it was but rarely that my eyes recognised anything new : amongst the 
few latter however T found a new species of h^iphowio, »S'. ScJiomburgMi 
Kl. The tree possessed the "gum" in real superabundance, and Dr. 
Klotzsch was certain that he had never louud it in so large a quantity 
in any species. Could more or less of the secretion be dependent u]>on 
tlie stage of develo])ment of the ti ee? The tree was not only full of shoots 
but also covered with blossom. 
858. About sundown we reached the abandoned estate Caledonia 
which had only been t.nken over by INIr. Blackliurn on account of an exten- 
sive cultivation of plantains. The rank condition in which I had 
already found it two years ago had naturally increased still more: the 
mosquitoes at night taught us pretty forcilily that we Avere again close 
to the coast. Duiultarton Castle, Caledonia, and Land of Promise the 
three estates now left on the Pomeroon that used to be cultivated former- 
ly to such a large extent, are likewise going to rnin, proV»ably to make 
way for a negro colony. 
859. At some 25 miles from the mouth the stream had aleady taken 
on a salty taste, while the water hitherto clear had assumed the dirty 
earthen milky colour which the ocean, owing to its clayey and muddy 
strand, possesses for some miles out to sea. The vegetation, with the 
change in taste and colour of the stream, altered as if by magic: and 
out from the shady FhizopJiora and CuruTa Imshes, we could hear the 
buzzing of swnrms of mosquitoes as we travelled along the banks. We 
reached the monlh of the Wakapau, which dvn-ing tlio rainy season, by 
means of ital)l)Os, provides amiIcv cduimunicatiou ^itli the iVrnnwariny 
hud ISrororro : the water was now too low f<>i' us to tnke this route. Mr. 
McClintock and his wife gave me a most hcai ty welcome. From a letter 
received here from INfi'. Fiyer. my brother had not yet arrived in 
Georgetown, .riud so T was alib* to continiK^ my journey farther and fill- 
up somewhnt the gaps remaining in my consignments of living orchids. 
8G0. The activities displayed in the immediate neighbourliodd of the 
roast during the crab-season affoi-ded an interesting sight. August and 
September are the months in which the land crabs ( Gccareuius ruricoJa 
and Urn nun) march out of the swam]»s into the sea to lay their eggs. 
Hundreds of corials filled with Indians now come down to the coast from 
far inland to gather the countless animals, their favourite food, in large 
round baskets, plaited out of palm-leaves, and returning with them to 
their distant settlements where tlie creatures can be kept alive for some 
time in sweet water. One also sees the ci abs coming out of their holes in 
W 1. 
