Insects were abundant on the island and if we had taken time we could have made an interesting collection. Three species of bright Orange butterflies were numerous (_Euptoieta hegesia_, _Colaenis phaerusa_ and the familiar Red Silver-wing, _Agraulis vanillae_, of our northern fields), and with these were also a White (_Pieris monuste_) and a Yellow (_Callidryas statira_). The three commonest dragon-flies were _Diastatops tincta_, _Erythrodiplax umbrata_ and _E. peruviana_. There were two pairs of Black-capped Mocking-thrushes[126] on the island and they afforded us much amusement. They are true cousins of the Catbird and Mockingbird, and from their actions would almost seem to have a strain of Chat blood! A pair lived in each of the brush clumps _a_ and _b_ (Fig. 147) and hour after hour would sit calling and answering each other. One pair (the two birds sitting close to each other) would shout in unison _powie! powie! powie!_ rapidly a dozen times in succession. The other pair responded _week! week! week! week!_ as often and as rapidly. At each enunciation the half-spread tails of the respective pair of birds wagged violently from side to side, exactly as if pulled with a string. As the utterances of each of the two birds were synchronous, the wagging was always in perfect time, but sometimes the “strings” got crossed with this effect (a); or this (b); but almost every time the movement was in unison thus (c); or thus (d). These active, interesting birds have in addition an elaborate song, uttered singly, which these individuals were practising but which we had heard fully developed at La Brea in Venezuela. [Illustration] [Illustration: FIG. 157. FLOCK OF ELEVEN HOATZINS.] Purple Gallinules[13] and Cayenne Wood Rails[12] were seen every day but were not abundant. A pair of the latter were nesting near the island and well merited their native name of Killicow, screaming a confused chorus of syllables resembling these for five minutes at a stretch every morning. Among the smaller marsh birds, Jacanas[23] easily held first place, both in numbers and in action and voice, day and night. About every half hour through the day a group of these birds would set up a wild and frantic clacking, sounding as if a dozen hens were being pursued and had about given up all hope of escape. This was usually caused by the appearance of a crocodile, large or small, from beneath the lily pads. All the Jacanas within sight would gather at once and dance excitedly about on the surrounding pads until the pestered reptile sank again into the muddy waters. Several times we saw trios of these birds in play or combat, each holding the wings spread low and in front, ready to strike with the sharp spurs or to protect their own body by the buttress of feathers. They are very graceful in all their motions, holding the wings straight upward for a few seconds after alighting.