158 R. H. Masure—The Birds of a Carribean Cruise


meet with opposition if he were interested in either a live or a museum

specimen.


After leaving the boat we proceeded on the local railroad about

20 miles, a portion of the run between Cortez and Tela, the capital

of Spanish Honduras. On this journey we saw many small birds that

were impossible to identify because of the swift glimpses of the birds

as they flew across our paths of vision. Along one of the rivers we saw

a few splendid specimens of the Snowy Egret (Egretta candidissima).

One of the trees near the railroad was tenanted by a colony of Black

Howling Monkeys, which of course are not birds, but are a part of the

tropics that one should not miss. They very obligingly demonstrated

their vocal ability as a challenge to the blowing of the engine’s steam

whistle. On either side of the train we saw great lush fields of vivid

green banana trees with large clusters of fruit and then patches of

jungle with high trees overgrown with orchids perched in their branches.

The remains of fields of sugar cane, another of the native crops, were

also visible as we rode along. At one stop some of the natives came

aboard the train with small rough looking pineapples, another of the

native fruits. We saw the “ Peenyas ”, as the natives call the pine¬

apples, growing on the hillsides. Our return journey to Cortez was made

in the dark as we were delayed by a banana train that broke down

on the track and had to be repaired before we could proceed on our

way, along the single track. It was surprising how rapidly the sun dis¬

appeared, and we left the countryside in total darkness. It seemed

that in a very few minutes the bright sun had left and evening w r as

upon us. With the change in light came a sudden drop in temperature

that made a coat of some kind necessary for comfort. There were

also a few mosquitoes that seemed to bother the ladies’ unprotected

legs. I stood on the front platform of the coach for most of the journey

and did not enounter even one mosquito or. receive a single bite, which

is more than I can say for my experience in a Chicago park on

an evening walk. When we finally arrived back in the port our boat

was blowing its whistle so we had no time to investigate the city and

its inhabitants. The most vivid impression that I have from the

village of Puerto Cortez is the large numbers of barbers and dentists

that we saw from the train as it went through the main street of the





