The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-16
APRIL M the WEST INDIES
sights TO he Observed During = spTins
Day In the Forest.

nay In the Forest.
KINGSTON, st. Vincent, b. W. !. April s.
Just one day out Of life spent under blue
ske'-a life In which every day may be the
same II you wish Il, until the rains come.
A sky soft and blue with blueness which
can DO felt--heecy white clouds, and q
breeze to make one young. Far on the
SEA, dotted with Islands, a sea which
emerald near the shore, and the deepest
sapphire far out. Behind you blue noun
tains which seem to stretch into eternity.
Around you on every side huge trees,
feathery palms, standing tall and straight,
like giant sentinels; tree-fern with leaves
Of green lace, every kind Of creeping plant,
dense, cool mass Of vegetation. Flowers
everywhere, the scarlet iponua dropping
from the tallest branches, orchids Of every
color and odd form. from the yellow bee'
with its flowing stalks from twenty to
forty feet long, to the Jack spaniard,'
which looks 30 like a wasp that you dread
Its sting.
Berries Of all shapes and sizes, the little,
gray Jobs tear in a relief against the green
More flowers, pomegranate, hibiscus, gor-
geous orange, red and yellow, and among
them all the pale purple burgainvillea.
! You lie still and dream Of fairyland. Wee
green lizards play hide and seek among the
soft green leaves Of the pink and white
begonias-and hush Ia over the under
world, whore even the low hum Of a belated
bumblebee seems TO disturb the stiffness.
The rainbow colored hummingbird fits
by, darting its tiny threadlike tongue into
each flower It thinks the prettiest, the soft
whir Of It's wings In itself a melody and the
butterfly, Just newly ushered into this gay
world to-day, sails on bright oolored wings
! everywhere, flirting with each passing
breeze, kissing the Aowers-little coquette
that she is--herseh a bright interrogation
mark at the wonders everywhere.
II IL April In the West Indies. The green
iguana lizard lies curled up In the sun,
the long. spiky crest on his back guiverin1g
and glistening as he sleeps. The timid
agonti creeps out Of her lair and looks
about her with bright, inquisitiVe, brown
eyes, and, seeing all safe and quiet hurries
, OH to where she knows the incest roots
are to be found, taking her little ones TO
| this happy hunting ground, where they
all sit round on their haunches-a happy,
hungry, we'll behaved little group enjoying
the choice breakfast their mother has
discovered-such dainties only come their
way occasionally whom no other family
Is before them.
All Is stiffness and dreamland. Suddenly
there u a fearful soreeoh right over head;
II Is only a group OF parrots, green ana
yellow, and bronze, and gray, come from
| the higher mountains on voyage OF ols.
oovery, the simultaneous arrival OF small
army OF monkeys turning the place into
pandemonium.
The monkeys are all ohattering together,
picking oocoanuts, the yellow COCOA pods
| and every fruit they can Law their mis-.
| chievo hands and feet and tails on, and
hurting them down and around Ike hail
stones, jabbering all the while about their
= aA - ~. - NaaaH
sudden disturbing element ofyivld life into
the dreamland that was.
! The we green lizards scuttle away,
! thankful and glad that their playground to-
day was the begonia leaves, instead Of the
branches where the parrots are having a
| picnic breakfast. The bumblebee has made
| up for lost time and Is far away. In garden
! OF roses in town; the butterfly, poor little
short lived coquette, has sought other
worlds TO conquer, the many twinklng
| smiles Of ocean have tempted her to cross,
| needless Of the fact that she his only to-day.
The humming bird is hidden in her nest
! in q tree fern branch, such a nest II Is
only Titania could have drawn the plan and
peas blossom and mustard seed built II
| Tor he. For fairy is humming BIRDS
! first cousin.
The mother ago ii, in an agony Of fear
| for her little ones. has taken them all home,
! grumbling a little but obedient always.
! The iguana has dropped behind his rock,
! and f PERU.
And the monkeys and parrots have the
! world to themselves for a while Qor the
! birds are busy to-day, and none is in these
! lower woods) until a sharp hiss is heard,
and a black snake glides into sight, and
| two large, sCely blaCk-and-red centipedes
crawl from under a stone and lie perfectly
still ugly evil looking creatures that they
are.
leave the world that was so happy and
| gay a little time ago, TO these two Until
| tomorrow when the whole scene (without
the little butterfly will DO gone through
again, for it is April in the West Indies.