268 
WEST INDIES AND SOUTH AMEEICA 
to insects (especially to Bine butterflies), and the humming-birds 
might visit the flowers to catch them, but it is scarcely conceivable 
that they could extract honey from such minute flowers. At 
Maudevill e, however, I saw my sole specimen of the somewhat 
scarce “ Doctor ” ( Trochilus polytmus), which has two long battle¬ 
dore-like tail feathers, and watched it feeding at the flowers of 
the Life Plant {Bryophyllum calycinum, Salisb.). These flowers 
are tubular, but the mouth is much contracted, and the birds bored 
holes near the base of the corolla just as bumble-bees do; many of 
the flowers were found to be pierced. This operation, I take it, must 
have been associated with honey-gathering, but Dr. A. E. Wallace 
seems to think that humming-birds are almost exclusively insecti¬ 
vorous. Another day I saw the common green species visit the Life 
Plant, but have no note of its mode of feeding. A black species 
was seen at Lantana flowers. In the garden at Walderston a small 
humming-bird visited a Tropacolum flower within a yard of my 
elbow. At Port Antonio a tiny species was seen at the small 
Labiate flowers of a species of Coleus , also at those of Yervain 
(Stachytarpheta). 
The Great Earthquake. 
The morning of January 14th, 1907, was passing fair, in a land 
where fine mornings are the rule. I went out collecting a little to 
the east of the Constant Spring Hotel, and remember well, after 
digging a number of beetles, Scalmus interstitialis, out of a rotting 
log, coming across several of the beautiful green and black butterfly, 
Victorina stelenes , sunning themselves on mango leaves, but I had 
to hurry back to lunch, having arranged to go into Kingston with 
my wife. We went by the electric tramway and noticed that it 
was exceptionally hot, though, perhaps, scarcely as hot as on the 
previous day. When we reached Harbour Street the clock was 
almost on the stroke of three, and, having arranged to meet 
Mrs. Longstaff in the museum at four o’clock, I ran to the Colonial 
Bank, and was just in time to get in before the doors closed for the 
day. By the courtesy of the teller I drew the money that I required 
—it was the last cheque cashed in that building. From the bank I 
went to one of the principal stores with two new white drill coats 
that fitted badly; they assured me that I should have them back the 
next day—but the store was burned down in the course of that 
fateful afternoon. 
From Harbour Street I repaired to the old Mico building in 
