BIRDS OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. 
19 
diving for pennies, or lining the wharves in a nude condition, hoping 
against hope for some one to throw them a penny, the tropical fruits 
of all kinds, and beautiful flowers in full bloom in midwinter, all seem 
strange at first; but barely a week passes before everything appears 
as natural as if they had seen just such things every day of their 
lives. 
Nassau contains a large number of soldiers, most of them colored 
troops which have served in Africa, and nearly all of them are 
decorated. They promenade the streets with their medals worn 
conspicuously upon their breasts, filling the natives with awe and 
admiration ; women bearing oranges, bananas, or sugar-cane walk 
about or stand upon corners, soliciting patronage ; men, women, and 
children, having articles of food to dispose of, congregate every 
morning at what is called the market, and there offer their wares for 
sale. Fish are brought there alive, and exposed for sale in tanks, so 
that the purchaser may be sure of obtaining everything fresh. 
Outside of its other attractions, the island of New Providence is 
of great interest to the ornithologist, as here may be obtained those 
exceedingly rare species, Mimocichla plumbea and Geothlypis rostra- 
tus . The former was so exceedingly rare that a short time ago only 
three or four specimens were known to be in existence. During my 
visits to the island I observed another species of this family, which, 
unfortunately, I was unable to procure. G. rostratus is also very 
rare, and has been classed as a variety of G. treclia. This would 
be accounted for by the extreme scarcity of specimens and the diffi- 
culty of procuring a series for proper examination and comparison. 
