ÖS 
Excursions and Mocking-Birds. 
England, where he was straightway gazetted Captain and Commander 
ot Hie lloyal ship “Providence” which was put into commission again 
with the inmost despatch to repeat the voyage. 
2T7. bite saileu Uie örd August libi in company with the “Assis- 
tant: both ships reached Otaheia sately on hm April 1 i*J2 and by ltth 
July 17S1 tuns and narreis were brougnc on hoard with healthy plants: 
the vessel leit the Island and after many a danger arrived on i;na ucio- 
ber at Couzaug between Aew Holland and Aew uuinea, wnere ine plants 
Unit had died on the voyage so lar were replaced uy new specimen», aim 
on 1» in ( !) December" sue dropped anchor at !Si. Helena, where Cap- 
lain Dligh took on board some otner kinds of fruit-trees, amongst them 
the Akee (lilighia sapida). 
23b. On imrd January 17'Jo he got to iSt. Vincent where he left odd 
bread and i'll other fruit-trees, taking in exchange about GUU tropical 
plants lor the Botanical Gardens at Kew. Prom St. Vincent he made 
ior Jamaica where he delivered oil bread-trees and 27Ü other fruits. He 
also took the new plants to Grand Cayman and, other Islands, and linally 
landed m England on 2nd August 17ÜJ. 
239. In spite of all the trouble and risks taken, in introducing the 
bread-fruit, subsequent events showed that the encouraging and con- 
fident hopes centred on its cultivation were not to be iulnind at ail. 
The plantain and banana have neither been replaced nor superseded, 
because it is only m cases of extreme necessity that the negroes turn 
to bread-fruit as an article of food. 
210. In company with my charming Cicerone 1 was soon able to ex- 
tend the area of my excursions farther alield along the virgin iorest 
through which practicable roads had been cut on all sides so as to es- 
tablish regular communication between the different estates on the 
island. 
211. What hours of innocent pleasure we spent together when, at 
low tide, engaged in mutually instructive conversation we rode along the 
beach, now lapped with the waves and cooled in the breeze, or w hen we 
turned into the half-obscured shady paths of the primeval land covered 
with trees, and for minutes at a time watched the airy movements of the 
elf-like Aernauta Nestor, Anchyses phorbanta, Hector Brotesilaus down 
to the little Chorineus. As these flittered under the dazzling sunlight 
in one continual chase over the flower carpet of lovely Securidaca volubil- 
is Linn., their colours ever changed from glittering gold to darkest indigo- 
blue, from bright carmine to a deep red, or from the clearest emerald to 
the most luscious green. I also found here for the first time pine-apples 
with leaves five to six feet long which had grown so thickly, one in be- 
tween the other, that they formed absolutely impenetrable hedges. The 
fruits are generally very small but, us a compensation, are exceedingly 
sweet and aromatic. 
212 The fauna showed fair correspondence with that in the environs 
of the city. Nothing however interested me so much as a regular colony 
.of Cassicus persiciis Daud., which had selected as their home an unus- 
ually large Bomba. x c/1 oboSum close to my study window 7 . 
"“The text lias September, which is clearly an error. (Ed.) 
