Birds and other creatures were very abundant and tame in the Botanical Gardens. Guiana Green Herons[38] or “Shypooks” as the coolies call them, Spur-winged Jacanas[23] and Gallinules[13] walked here and there, the latter leading their dark-hued young over the Regia pads. Small crocodiles basked half out of the water, none over three feet in length, as abundant as turtles in a northern mill-pond. Several huge water buffalo, imported from the East Indies, looked strangely out of place in this hemisphere. Butterflies were scarce although a great variety of flowers were in profusion everywhere. [Illustration: FIG. 66. CANAL OF THE CROCODILES.] April seems to be the height of the breeding season for many birds. In one tree we found two wasps’ nests, and nests with eggs or young of the following six species of birds; the Red-winged Ground Dove,[9] the Great[101] and Lesser[103] Kiskadees, White-shouldered Ground Fly-catcher or “Cotton-bird,”[97] Gray Tody-flycatcher or “Pipitoori”[99] and Cinereus Becard.[114] Chestnut Cuckoos of two species,[77], [78] all four Kiskadees,[101], [103], [104], [106] Caracaras,[53] Black-faced Tanagers or “Bucktown Sackies,”[141] Woodhewers, Elanias[100] and other Flycatchers are a few among many birds which we were sure of seeing on every walk, while Anis, both great[79] and small[80] were everywhere. The Botanical Gardens are ideal for experimental botanical work and sugar cane in scores of varieties is being kept under observation. It is hard to believe that the delicate grass which we see springing up in the ditched fields will grow into the lofty and waving stalks of sugar cane. It is exceedingly variable and should afford excellent material for experimental study. The original yellow-stalked cane develops red and purple streaks in many combinations, due apparently to difference in soils. Cane sent to Louisiana will, within twelve years, produce much larger nodes owing to the plant having to fruit in six months instead of eleven or twelve. The stalk, however, does not gain correspondingly in diameter; so there is no increase in sugar capacity. Tropical plants can in many cases adapt themselves to shorter, northern summers, but temperate perennials soon die in the tropics from exhaustion, lacking their annual period of rest. The climatic conditions along the coast of British Guiana are peculiar, in that they simulate conditions usually existing at an altitude of two or three thousand feet. One result of this is seen in the flourishing tree-ferns planted in the Botanical Gardens.