S. Porter—A West Indian Diary



67



of a dream but soon the deck hands were astir and the tranquil atmo¬

sphere was shattered by the roar of winches and the coarse shouting

of the cargo hands.


Jamaica, before the advent of the white races there, must have been

a land of surpassing beauty. The whole surface from the seashore

to the top of the highest mountain was covered with magnificent

forest, the trees being of gigantic proportions. Though most of these

giant trees have been felled, Jamaica is fortunate indeed in having vast

tracts of virgin forest left, mostly in the central mountainous districts.

Here the mountains rise almost perpendicularly to a great height

and as this area is unfit for most of the recognized crops, it is

left untouched except where the natives clear patches on the

incredibly steep mountain sides for the production of a few bananas,

yams or mangos. The island possessed formerly a very wonderful

and distinctive bird-life, but in keeping with the other West Indian

Islands scant care or thought was given to the feathered life. Some

species are now extinct, others are exceedingly rare and only about a

dozen can be called really common. There are two reasons for the

diminution of the bird-life, firstly the trapping and shooting by the

natives of vast quantities of birds for food and secondly by the imported

mongoose which has all but exterminated most of the ground birds.

The following are a few of the birds seen on an all too short a stay on

this beautiful island.


The Southern Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura). One would think

on approaching Kingston that there was some great aerial display

over the city, until on closer acquaintance with these seeming aeroplanes,

one realizes that they are no man-made contrivances, but vultures.

There seem to be thousands of them wheeling round and round on

outstretched motionless wings ; no single one in the whole concourse

ever appears to flap his pinions, as round and round they go from early

morning until evening.


The “ John Crow 55 as he is known in Jamaica is perhaps the

commonest of all birds on that island. He is seen everywhere, always

with his ever watchful eye on the main chance ; in native backyards,

by the roadsides, on the wharves, walking through culverts, on

rubbish heaps, in fact he is everywhere. I once saw a native woman



