THE ZOOLOGIST
No. 674.—August, 1897.
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES FROM THE WEST
INDIES.
By Percy Rendall, M.D., F.Z.S.
Early this year I spent three months in the Antilles collecting zoological specimens of all kinds. The bulk of this time was passed in Trinidad, or, as the Indians call it, Iëre, and most of my collecting was done in the south-west province known locally as the district of Savana Grande. Geographically both this island and Tobago (which is nineteen miles further north) are portions of the South American Continent, and the respective faunas bear strong resemblance therefore one to the other. The small mammals from these islands are, however, so little known that I contribute a few remarks upon those I captured.
Most of my work was done with break-back traps baited with banana, Indian corn, and sweet cassava, but the last named was much the deadliest. My rendezvous was a Government resthouse, but though I had genuine primæval forest within a mile, I found that all the small things were to be taken along the course of a little stream, with a growth of balisiers and mixed bush, that fringed the cultivated but partly-cleared gardens and cocoa groves.
For the scientific names I am indebted to my friend Mr. Oldfield Thomas. The English equivalents are those used by the "natives," who seem to be any colour, and combine strains of
