Vol 1 - The Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club

Quarterly Bulletin of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ ClubJanuary - March 2010Issue No: 1/2010The journey that is Chacachacare - part 1/3A personal account by Hans E.A.BoosSeveral years ago I was asked, by Yasmin Comeau of the National Herbarium, U.W.I St. Augustine to write a shorthistory titled “Human occupation and impact on the island of Chacachacare‖ ( which constitutes the mainbody of the account below), which was to be a part of a larger work on the vegetation of the island of Chacachacare.But, in that I do not know if it was ever published in any part or its entirety, I thought I would share it, and some morerecent additions and observations, with the members of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists‘ Club, a club ofwhich I have been proud to be a member since the middle of 1960.Chacachacare holds a special place in my interest, which interest willbe elaborated on below, and which was again sparked during a recentexcursion of the Club to this island on Sunday March 28 th 2010.A part of the Leper colonyPhoto Hans E. A. Boos(Continued on page 3)

Page 2 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010Inside This Issue1 CoverThe Journey that is Chacachacare- A personal account by Hans E. A. Boos7Club Monthly Field Trip ReportLa Table 31- 01 - 2010- Reginald Potter9Feature - BotanyIn a Blaze of Glory- Christopher K. Starr11 Feature - SerialPungent is as pungent does- Christopher K. Starr12A Tale of Two Lizards- Hans E. A. Boos13 Awards for outstandingcontributions Botany 2008- Lester Doodnath14Photo CollageClub Christmas Lunch 2009Photos—Valerie ThumbEditor’s noteMany thanks to all who contributed and assistedwith articles and photographs.CONTACT THE EDITORQuarterly Bulletin of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ ClubWebsite:January - March 2010EditorShane T. BallahEditorial CommitteePalaash Narase, Reginald PotterContributing writersChristopher K. Starr, Hans E. A. Boos,Lester Doodnath, Reginald PotterPhotographsHans E. A. Boos, Lester Doodnath,Reginald Potter, Valerie Thumb,Design and LayoutEddison Baptiste, Shane T. BallahThe Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists‘ Club is anon-profit, non-governmental organisationManagement Committee 2010 - 2011President ……………... Shane T. Ballah 796-3335Vice-President ……….. Palaash Narase 751-3672Secretary …………….. Eddison Baptiste 695 –2264Assist-Secretary ……... Sarah Harris 718-9165Treasurer ……………. Selwyn Gomes 624-8017Committee members ... Dan Jaggernauth 659-2795Reginald Potter 694-1160Francis Castillo 638-9137Contact us!http://www.ttfnc.orgPostal: The Secretary, TTFNC, c/o P.O. Box 642,Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and TobagoEmail:admin@ttfnc.orgWeb Email Facebook DownloadsDisclaimer:The views expressed in this bulletin are those of the respectiveauthors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion and views ofthe Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists‘ Club

Page 3 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010The Journey that is ChacachacareA personal account by Hans E.A.BoosFeature(Continued from page 1)So this expanded account will also include my personalconnection to this island which plays a part in my ancestry,and which has afforded me a lot of pleasure inthe years past.COLUMBUS.When Christopher Columbus sailed his fleetaround Icacos Point in the South West of Trinidadon August 2, 1498, if the day was a clearone, and if there were no rain squalls to theNorth, for August is the mid point in the rainyseason in Trinidad, he would have sighted thegap in the ridge of mountains on the northernhorizon. This gap, this passage, would havebeen the Grand Boca, between The Paria Peninsulaof Venezuela and Chacachacare, thewesternmost island of the Boca Islands.The gaps between the other islands are much narrowerand the first and third Bocas are partially obscuredfrom the viewpoint where Columbus anchored,in the lee of the Los Gallos rocks on the north side ofIcacos Point.Morison (1942 p.255) states that Columbus ― couldsee thirty-five miles to the northward across the gulf ofParia, the jagged Cerro Mejillones on the Venezuelanpromontory…‖ and thinking that this land was anotherisland, he named it Ysla de Gracia.Sailing dead north, Columbus made landfall on thesouth of the Paria Peninsula and anchored in a smallbay near the easternmost point. According to Morrison(p.258) this bay is possibly Bahía Celeste. Fromhere Columbus could see Chacachacare Island and henamed it El Caracol (the Snail). From his anchorage inBahía Celeste he could not see the other Bocas or individualislands which, from this point, must have appearedas a single mass of land .But, from the fact thathe named Huevos, El Delphin, and did not distinguishMonos as an island, it would appear that, as he sailednorth from Icacos, he could discern the second andthird Bocas.Morison (p.260) lists some trees found on the islandsas manchineel, silk cotton, butterwood, and ChristmasHope.Columbus sailed south and west again, along the southof the Paria Peninsula, searching for evidence that theland he had named Ysla de Gracia was in fact an island,and after eight days of failure he turned around andheaded east once more and, according to Morison, hecrossed the Grand Boca and anchored in the southeastern bay of Chacachacare Island.Whether Columbus really crossed the treacherousGrande Boca and anchored in the bay of Chacachacare,and then sent a boat to Huevos (El Delphin) to a baythere to collect water, and to record a village withenough small houses to warrant the name of El Puertode las Cabanas (Harbour of the Cabins), is belied todayby the lack of any standing or running water or spacefor a small village, on Huevos, a small, and very dry,island.The recent maps of Chacachacare show a seasonalstream running through the lowlands in Sanders Bay,and it is here that Columbus, if in fact he did anchor inChacachacare Bay, would have found any water thatmight have been available, rather that to have his menmake a foray across the treacherous third Boca tosearch for water on the very much drier island ofHuevos.Today, any streams or gullies on Chacachacare onlyhave water in them during heavy rains during the rainyseason which lasts from July to December. All settlementson this island, over time, have had to depend onimported water stored in cisterns and tanks, or rainwateroff roofs for their water supply.There are the remains of several small dams in the ravineshigh up on the slopes on the island that werebuilt by the earliest settlers in the late 1700s, the waterfrom one of these small storage ponds being channeledto cisterns built beneath the main house on awindy nearby ridge.AMERINDIANS.These islands, whether they were inhabited by the indigenousAmerindians on a permanent basis or were(Continued on page 4)

Page 4 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010The journey that is ChacachacareA personal account by Hans E.A.BoosFeature(Continued from page 3)used as temporary fishing and turtling camps we areleft to speculate. Columbus‘ possible sighting of somehuts on Huevos and the finding of a prehistoric ceramicpotsherd odorno (Bullbrook 1925, inBoomert1984 p.30) in a small cave in Perruquier Bay(now called La Chapelle Bay) on Chacachacare, is evidencethat the islands in the Bocas were from time totime visited or domiciled by prehistoric people. Discoveryof more pottery in Sanders (an anglicized versionof Spanish, Sanda) Bay points to a more extensivesettlement than had been suspected of native Amerindianson the island, (Boomert 2000) where possibly afishing village was established for enough time for theinhabitants to create a substantial kitchen midden inwhich was deposited the broken and discarded pottery.Apart from the occasional use of the local trees tosupply firewood and building materials for whateverstructures were needed to sustain either temporary orpermanent housing on Chacachacare, there was probablyno substantial deleterious effect on the vegetationon the island by the Amerindians.THE SPANISH.The Spanish occupation of mainland Trinidad overthe almost three hundred years after the voyageof Columbus, certainly must have included visitsand perhaps temporary occupation of suitablesites on Chacachacare, where fishing villages mayhave been established. The journey over to theVenezuelan mainland was a quite hazardous onedue to the fierce currents in the Grand Boca, andpirogues or sailing vessels would naturally put intothe sheltered bays of Chacachacare to await themore favourable tides and weather to make thetrip across this stretch of water.Even today, in the months of August to November,returning to Trinidad in a small pirogue, orother fishing or pleasure craft, after a day aroundChacachacare, the crossing into the southeasterlywind and waves, can be a hazardous and scary trip.However in 1637, Jacques Ousiel, the Public Advocateand Secretary of the Colony of Tobago reportingto the directors of the Chartered WestIndia Company of Amsterdam stated ―In the Bocasdel Drago are found some islands where there isfresh water and they are all uninhabited wherefrom the months of March to November inclusive,multitudes of turtles and sea parrots come up intothe sandy bays.‖(THS #137). Ousiel was eitherrepeating hearsay of the time in error or was reportinga condition that has not existed since.Around 1771, according to a family tradition, aman named Geraldine Carige, a refugee from theCatholic persecutions in Ireland, first went toSpain where, falling sick, he was recommended thebalmier West Indies as a health cure. Possibly inthe service of the Spanish military, he settled inthe island of Margarita, a Spanish possession andhealth resort, where he recovered and married.Due to some unspecified service to the SpanishCrown or authorities, sometime before 1791,Carige was granted the Island of Chacachacare. Hehad possibly come to Trinidad earlier, seeking refugefrom the gathering storm of the revolutionbrewing on the mainland of Venezuela.In any event he set up a hacienda on Chacachacare,and began to farm the arid island and he alsorented out tracts of land to others that showed aninterest in doing the same. One such family, theSanda‘s, has left the legacy of their name for oneof the smaller bays on the island. (THS #534, 668.)These settlers and farmers must have cleared landto begin the planting of mainly cotton which wasin great demand and which grew well on these dryhilly islands. According to Carmichael (1961p.437), ―In 1791, there were many people living onthis island [Chacachacare], cultivating ground provisionsand sugar apples (Anona squamosa).‖Today there are scattered growths of cotton(Glossypium barbadense) bushes, certainly the wilddescendants of these cultivations.(Continued on page 5)

Page 5 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010The journey that is ChacachacareA personal account by Hans E.A.BoosFeature(Continued from page 4)They also seem to have tried growing tobacco.(Mavrogordato c.1972.p.3) as there was an historicalprecedent for the profits to be madefrom tobacco-cultivation, and since certain cultivarsdid well in arid conditions, (Purseglove1988 p.538) Chacachacare would have seemed agood location to attempt a revival of the tobaccoindustry.By 1910 very little agriculture seems to have beencarried on the island, and it became a popularplace from which fishing expeditions werelaunched. There were four residences that couldEarly 80‘s Field Naturalist camp ChacachacarePhoto Hans E. A. BoosMy boat Jolle Rouge ChacachacareEarly 80‘s Naturalist campPhoto Hans E. A. Boosbe rented by families on holiday and several popular―banks,‖ where the fishing was good, werepopularized. Vincent (1910) states that the Creolesliving on Chacachacare and nearby Monoswent across the Grand Boca to the Venezuelanmainland and there established large gardens,planting maize, plantains and even cocoa, as thesoil there was much more fertile and productivethan on the ―poor dry soil‖ (p.12) of their islandsof the Bocas.Whatever available lumber, gleaned from the naturalvegetation growing on Chacachacare, was un-(Continued on page 6)

Page 6 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010The journey that is ChacachacareA personal account by Hans E.A.BoosFeature(Continued from page 5)doubtedly utilized to constructhuts and sheds andother small buildings to facilitatethese settlers and farmers.Main houses wereprobably constructed frommaterials brought from themainland, Trinidad in theeast, and Venezuela in thewest.Look out for Part II in the next issueof the QB.Leper Colony Buildings Early 80‘s ChacachacarePhoto Hans E. A. BoosWater StridersKingdom:AnimaliaWater striders using water surfaceTension when matingPhoto (source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_strider )Water striders can vary inlength from 1.6 mm to 36mm. Similarly, their bodyshape ranges from slenderand elongate to almost completelyround. One commonfeature is their elongatedlegs (only the first pair isshort and stubby) which theanimals use for moving overPhylum:Class:Order:Suborder:Infraorder:ArthropodaInsectaHemipteraHeteropteraGerridaeLeach, 1815the water surface. These are predatory insects which rely on surfacetension to walk on top of water. They live on the surface ofponds, slow streams, marshes, and other quiet waters. There theyhunt for insects and other small invertebrates on top of or directlybelow surface using their strong forelegs which end withclaws. They can move very quickly, up to 1.5 m/s. They paddleforward with the middle pair of their legs, using fore- and hindlegs as a rudder. Five species of Halobates sea skaters are the onlyinsects that have successfully colonized open ocean habitats.(source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerridae )

Page 7 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010La Table 31 st January 2010Reginald Potter, with input from Eddison BaptisteMonthly Field Trip ReportsLa Table (usually pronounced ―La Tab‖) is a small bayon the south coast just east of Las Tablas point, reachableby boat, or by a long hike through the VictoriaMayaro forest reserve starting from the ―Main Field‖road through Guayaguayare at a point a little west ofLagon Bouffe. An extension of the Trinity Hills forms asteep ridge trending NE – SW runs all the way to thecoast at Moruga, and this natural barrier separates theLa Table River, which flows east to the coast, from theland to the north which all drains to the west into theMoruga River.We were to discover justhow long that hike might beand something about thatridge when we convergedon Guayaguayare on Sunday31 st January .24 persons made the trip toGuyaguayare and after collectingour guide IgnaciousPhillip Cummings we met atthe Petrotrin gate at about9.00 am. We had met Phillipbefore when he guided us toCanari bay.In the car I received the firstbit of bad news – Phillip hadnot been to ―La Tab‖ for 20years or more! And that tripwas largely in the night whenhe was called there on newsthat his brother and 4 otherswere drowned while bathing.Nevertheless he was confident that he could find theplace and being a well-known ‗bushman‘ we had littlechoice but to trust him. We were at the starting pointat 10.05 am, crossed the NGC gas pipeline wayleave,entered the forest, and proceeded briskly down an oldexploration well access road that runs due south, makinggood progress initially. Traces of imported limestoneand old washed out culverts provided proof thatthis was indeed a road, but vegetation including largecedars had grown up in the roadway since its last use.There were clear signs of timber poaching by illegalloggers who had used a portable sawmill to plank thosebeautiful cedars. Evidently they must have been interruptedbecause some logs were left abandoned and stillDan Jaggernauthinvestigating signs of illegal logginground.We trecked through Semi Evergreen Forest seeing awild chatigne tree with fruit (edible), a massive SilkCotton tree that echoed of forgotten folklores,(traditions, and superstitions that brought reflectivesmiles and murmurs). We saw a Carapa guianensistree, (Crappo fruit) which is used as an herb forcoughs and colds and lumber for building. There werecarat palms, wild nutmeg with it‘s buttress roots which,unlike our shoes, made it stable in soggy soils. All thisinfo: was courtesy Dan.We saw (or rather heard)two birds:- one was theWhite Bearded Manikin andthe other the Yellow TailCrested Oropendola. ClaytonHull also heard a toucanseveral times and the unmistakablesound of a woodpecker.As usual no wildlifewas seen, partially due tothe constant chatter of ourlarge party.After several detours tocross streams (all flowingwest and practically devoidof fish life) and rejoining theroad, we started slightly uphilland came to what appearedinitially to be a hunters‘camp. This was a bit of asurprise since the area is agame sanctuary. In fact the presence of a well worntrail in a sanctuary was enough to arouse suspicion.The camp appeared well and recently used, with bedsand clothing and even torches and cooking equipmentin evidence.From this point our troubles began. Phillip chose a wellmarked trail which quickly began to look unlikely sinceit took us across gullies that were otherwise easilyavoidable. He turned back and tried another trail onlyto return again claiming it quickly lead to a steep inclinethat would present difficulty to some members.However those who managed to keep up with himreported seeing a marijuana field.Back down the slope and branching this time more to(Continued on page 8)

Page 8 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010La Table 31 st January 2010Reginald Potter, with input from Eddison BaptisteMonthly Field Trip Reports(Continued from page 7)the east he took us through forest with no visible path,‗chipping‘ brush to mark the way. We quickly came toanother steep incline and this time he decided to ascend.One look at the hill facing us and the less agilemembers were urged not to go further, but everyoneinsisted on attempting the slope. This was indeed theNE – SW ridge separating us from the La Table valley.Well Phillip of course made the top of the ridge andproceeded immediately to follow it to the southwestwhich took us further away from our destination. Bythis time most of the group had had enough andagreed to return to the cars. 5 persons continued upthe hill, called Phillip back and redirected him to followthe ridge in the opposite direction and look for an opportunityto descend. Off he went along the ridge thendown the slope and his answers to calls becomingfainter. We followed his ‗chipped‘ trail down throughbeautiful forest into a stream gully showing hard rockoutcrops. The gully became larger as we descendedand permanent water appeared, but eventually becomingtoo steep to continue with the time remaining.Small crayfish were seen in the stream, promising moreand larger specimens lower down. In fact the La TableRiver is well known as a good crayfishing river forthose who can get to it. At 13:33 hours we agreed itwas time to start back. At this point we were abouthalf way to the destination according to my GPS. Therewas no sound or sign of Phillip so we assumed he waspushing ahead to reach the sea.Back up that terrible ridge and down the other side weslithered and made our way back the way we hadcome in, arriving at the cars at 16:20 hours.A report was made to the Petrotrin police about theillegal logging (they had actually caught the offender buthe got off on a technicality) and the marijuana planting.Phillip eventually emerged after everyone had left andmade his own way home. He reported having reachedthe sea and found a better trail back, which took himnear the hunters‘ camp and had no serious hill tocross. Maybe some time in the future we will try thatway.Photos from the TTFNC – Bird Group -BRASSO SECO WEEKEND 10th April, 2010.Club members overnight at O’Farrell’s Estate in Brasso Seco.(humming birds) White-necked Jacobin—Florisuga mellivora and Bananaquit—Coereba flaveola.Photos courtesy Gerard Williams

Page 9 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010IN A BLAZE OF GLORYChristopher K. StarrFeature - botanyMembers of the palm family can be regarded as thetropical plants par excellence. They are a conspicuouspart of almost any tropical landscape, yet they are conspicuouslyabsent outside of the tropics and subtropics.To someone who grew up in cold-temperate latitudesand never set foot in the tropics until he was almost 30,there is something unceasingly magical about live palms,up close and personal. Much hasbeen written about these plants, andCorner's (1966) book is among thevery readable general accounts ofpalms.Up until the mid-1990s there werethree towering talipot palms at thenorthwest corner of the UWI campus.Now there is one. In a fewweeks there will be none.The talipot palm, Corypha umbraculifera,is native to south India and/or SriLanka, although it has been in cultivationfor so long that its exact nativerange is unknown. It is possibly themost massive of all palms, as its exceptionallystout trunk (sometimesmore than a meter in diameter) canbe up to 25 m tall. Its enormous palmate(i.e. fanlike, not featherlike inshape) leaves can be as much as 5 mlong and broad on stems at least aslong.However, the most remarkable aspectof this palm is not its sheer sizebut its mode of reproduction. Mostperennial plants -- mango is a familiarexample -- go through repeated reproductive periods, ahabit known as iteroparity. In the (less common) alternative,semelparity, the plant delays reproducing until thevery end of its life, devoting everything to the productionof a huge quantity of seeds at one time.Talipot palm, Corypha umbraculiferaPhoto WikimediaSemelparity is the reproductive pattern in only about 7%of palm species (Henderson 2002: Appendix I). The talipotpalm is one of these. It grows vegetatively for about40-70 years and then produces several great long inflorescences-- almost the largest of all inflorescences in theworld -- smothered in some hundreds of thousands ofsmall, pale-yellow flowers (illustrated by Comeau et al.2003:90). When in flower, this palm is a powerful sight,conspicuous from a long way off. The very rarity of itsflowering makes it that much more impressive.These hundreds of thousands of flowersgive rise to a similar quantity offruits. The dark green fruit is round,about 3-4 cm in diameter, with a singleseed in the center. This seed isround, smooth, about a centimeter indiameter, with a hard outer coat.After this grand reproductive output,the fruits fall to the ground and thepalm, its reserves exhausted, falls anddecays. As of this writing (March2010), the one remaining talipot palmat UWI has produced its fruits, whichare now falling to the ground. It is atthe spectacular end of a long life.Reproduction in most plants requiresthe participation of animals. Flowersof the talipot palm give off a soursmell that attracts bats, which presumablyleads to pollination. In thepresent case, it is not plain how thepalm came to be pollinated. I am notaware that any other of its species hasbeen in flower in northern Trinidad inthe last year. If it is self-pollinated, itseems not be suffering from it, as fruitand seed production is good, andmany healthy seedlings are alreadygrowing nearby.Another reproductive task for which many plants rely onanimals is seed dispersal. The talipot palm would appearto be well adapted for this. The fruit, in its prime, is easyto chew off the seed and has a slight sweet taste. It alsohas a very unpleasant aftertaste that, I confess, has limitedmy sample size to just two. Nonetheless, to an animalthat doesn't mind this aftertaste the fruits would appearto furnish an abundant and easily edible food(Continued on page 10)

Page 10 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010IN A BLAZE OF GLORYChristopher K. StarrFeature - botany(Continued from page 9)source. It is easy to conceive of a large fruit bat or rodentpicking up a fruit, carrying it to a sheltered spot,eating the pulp and dropping the seed, and it is likely thatmany do. However, the seed is so uncommonly roundand smooth that I suspect the main native seed disperseris a much bigger mammal that swallows large numbers offruits entire and defecates the seeds some hours later ata distance.The seeds of many plants contain substantial food reservesand so are eaten by animals. If you break open asample of almost any fair-sized seeds, you are likely tofind that some contain insect larvae, which are eatingthem from the inside. The incidence of this form of seedpredation can be quite high. I once collected a largesample of cocorite palm (Attalea maripa) seeds and foundthat after a time a certain species of beetle emergedfrom almost every one of them, boring a neat emergencehold on its way out. The palm's huge production offruits, in this case, yielded only a modest number ofseeds capable of germination.One advantage of semelparity may be in allowing theplant to escape from the attentions of seed-predatoryinsects. After all, a population of specialist insects cannotpersist if its food source is present only sporadically. Ihave collected a sample of 200 talipot palm seeds andwill wait to see what, if anything, emerges from them. Ialso have a sample of 200 seeds from the Manila palm(Adonidia merrillii), a common ornamental, to see whatmay be eating them from the inside. I should note thatneither of these is native to this region, so it is possiblethat their seed predators were simply left behind whenthey were introduced. Even so, if this very rough experimentshows a difference between the two species, thetalipot palm is predicted to suffer much lower seed predationon account of its semelparous habit.Thanks to Paul Comeau and Julian Duncan forsuggestions on this piece.Talipot palm, Corypha umbraculiferaPhoto WikimediaReferencesComeau, P.L., Y.S. Comeau & W. Johnson 2003.The Palm Book of Trinidad and Tobago, Including the LesserAntilles. Port of Spain: International Palm Society 108 pp.Corner, E.J.H. 1966. The Natural History of Palms. London:Weidenfeld & Nicolson 393 pp.Henderson, A. 2002. Evolution and Ecology of Palms. NewYork: New York Botanical Garden Press 259 pp.Christopher K. StarrDep't of Life SciencesUniversity of the West Indiesckstarr@gmail.com

Page 11 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010PUNGENT IS AS PUNGENT DOES. Part 1.Christopher K. StarrFeature - serialPseudosphinx tetrio is a common hawk moth or sphinxmoth (Sphingidae), found throughout most of theneotropics and into the southern edge of the USA. Youmay not be aware of the adult, which is a wellcamouflagedmottled gray (e.g. http//:biologicaldiversity.info/pseudosphinx.htm). However, you havealmost certainly noticed the larva, a robust caterpillarthat grows to about 10 cm in length and more than 1 cmin diameter. And, unlike theadult, it is far from cryptic.Rather, it has bright pan-africancolouration, contrasting redand yellow marks against ablack background.P. tetrio feeds exclusively onfrangipani (Plumeria rubra; Apocynaceae),a small tree with arelatively open growth form(Janzen 1983). Accordingly, thebig, colourful caterpillars are byno means hidden as theymunch on leaves and walkslowly on the stems. If youhave frequent occasion to passby any frangipani tree, you willlikely have noticed this and mayhave remarked that thereseems to be a distinct "crop" ofcaterpillars two or three timesa year. At the end of larval development,the caterpillars walkdown from their tree to pupatein leaf litter.As naturalists, many of youhave probably gone beyond these basic observations topose questions about why the caterpillars are they waythey are. In particular, how can they possibly survive?Each of them is a big, juicy piece of meat, sitting there inplain view, coloured in such a way as to call attention toitself. Yet you have never seen a bird or other predatoreating one, have you? This is rather remarkable. Whyare the abundant, voracious kiskadees (Pitangus sulphuratus)not feasting on these caterpillars to extinction?I have posed this question many times over the years,Pseudosphinx tetrio caterpillarPhoto Wikimediaand naturalists almost always suggest immediately thatthe caterpillars are distasteful and possibly poisonous.This very reasonable hypothesis arises naturally out ofbiological thinking. If the caterpillars do, in fact, have anasty taste, it makes biological sense that they shouldadvertise this by means of a distinctive appearance. Inthis reasoning, every kiskadee out there has at sometime eaten one of the caterpillars (while you weren'twatching), spat it out in disgust,and never tried another one.That makes for a nice story, butis it true? I'm not going to tellyou. I will, however, tell youhow to find out for yourself.Pick up a late-stage caterpillar --it will thrash about in your handand attempt to bite, but it can'tdeliver more than a harmlesslittle nip -- and prick the bodywall with an ordinary pin orneedle to a depth of a couple ofmillimeters. Then taste thedroplet of blood that appears atthe hole. Well, is it perceptiblybitter? Is there reason to thinkthat the body as a whole is distastefulenough to deter a vertebratepredator? You canthen release the caterpillar,which will suffer no lastingharm from the small wound.Do this simple (and perfectlysafe) experiment now. We willtake this topic a step further inthe next issue.ReferncesJanzen, D.H. 1983. Pseudosphinx tetrio (oruga falso-coral,frangipani sphinx). Pp. 764-65 in: D.H. Janzen (ed.), CostaRican Natural History. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press.Christopher K. StarrDep't of Life SciencesUniversity of the West Indiesckstarr@gmail.com

Page 12 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010A Tale of Two Lizards.Hans E. A. Boos April 2010male Iguana — Photo WikimediaThese thoughts came to me by the joining of two unrelated incidents,linked by the fact that they both concerned lizards, in thiscase, Iguanas.Several weeks ago while driving north into the Santa Cruz valley, atabout half past one in the afternoon, it being about the hottest timeof the day in one of the hottest, driest months we have had inyears, just a little outside of the village of Boug Mulatress, ahead ofme, I saw, crossing the road, a very large male Iguana. I could see itwas a male by the heavy build and the spiny crest along his dorsalsurface.He was taking his time crossing the asphalt from left to right and Icould see a car coming down the road towards me begin to speedup, and it seemed the intent of the driver to hit this magnificentlizard. After all no one swerves for a lizard as I was once told I did,by an American lady I was touring with, to avoid a Polychrus marmoratus,a cousin of the Iguana, on the Toco road. And Iguanas areconsidered just another kind of free wild meat, chancebounty, thrown up by fortune, regardless whether it isthe hunting or closed season.You see ―lizards‖ are allowed to be hunted in the openseason in Trinidad, and this I guess means that the Iguanais fair game no matter how you hunt it whether by shotgun, noose or motor car.To try to save the old fellow I too speeded up and comingabreast of him I banged on the outside of my door,hoping the noise would scare him into a swift scuttle offthe road to safety. But it was happening all too fast.There was a car close behind me, so stopping suddenlywas out of the strategy, so I banged away like mad and Isaw the oncoming car swerving and braking to line up thelizard under the left wheel. As we went past I lost sight ofthe lizard and the next thing I heard was the screechingof brakes and the sickening crash of the car behind theIguana assassin slamming into his rear end. A quick glancein my rear view mirror showed the two cars jammedtogether, crumpled bonnets and fenders pyramiding intothe air. And that horrific shattering of glass that accompaniesevery motor car accident.All for the greed to kill a lizard.I could not see if the Iguana had made it to safety or waslying mangled under the wheels of the car. I can onlyhope he got away, and the driver in the front car got hisjust deserts, though I was angered that the driver in thecar behind was now in a world of inconvenience andexpense, over the stupidity of the driver who saw Iguanaon the menu.And to stop and walk back to see the extent of the damageand perhaps gloat over this idiocy could have beendangerous in these times, so I drove on with the hope forthe safety of such a magnificent animal who had perhapsbecome lazy in his ripe years.Then on the Field Naturalists‘ trip to Chacachacare onthe last Sunday of March 2010, I was hiking from the landingat La Tinta over the ridge to the old Nunnery Dormitories,and was resting with a couple of other Club membersat the top of a rather steep incline to catch mybreath, when we could see and hear four young mencoming up behind us at a brisk run. It was only when theysped past us, as we stepped aside on the narrow path to let themby, that I registered that they were carrying a sack, a sack thatbulged with a very uneven object inside.Looking enquiringly at my companions I silently signalled if they hadnoticed what I had, and they confirmed that they thought too thatthere was an iguana in the sack, and these young men were activelyhunting these lizards that sometimes are found on this island.By the time we realized that maybe we should have tried to stopthem and release the unfortunate animal, they were gone out ofsight and we never saw them again for the duration of our stay onthe island.It is this kind of ignorance and lawlessness that bodes very ill for allour diminishing fauna in Trinidad and Tobago.

Page 13 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010Awards for outstanding contributionsBotany 2008Presentation to Dan Jaggernauth by Juanita HenryPresentation Lester Doodnath to Winston JohnsonEsteemed stalwart members of the TTFNC Botany Group were presented with tokens for their very valuableinput through the years to this very vibrant group. This occurred on March 15, 2008 on the Monos Field Trip.Winston Johnson of the National Herbarium of Trinidad and Tobago was presented Lester W. Doodnath, Headof the Botany Group with a scanned copy of the vegetation map from the book, The Natural Vegetation of Trinidadand Tobago by J. S. Beard. While Dan Jaggernauth, John Lum Young, Juanita Henry and Betsy Mendes werepresented with blue crocus bags to carry their field apparatus for these trips. All tokens were supplied by Lesterfor their support and commitment.Presentation to Dan Jaggernauthby Juanita HenryPresentation to Dan Jaggernauthby Betsy Mendes

Page 14 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010Club Christmas Lunch 2009 at BlanchisseusePhoto Collage- photos courtesy Valerie Thumb

Page 15 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 1/2010Management NoticesNew members; Volunteers; PublicationsManagement NoticesNew MembersThe Club warmly welcomes the following new members:Ordinary members:Darshan Narang, Imran Khan, Mario Manuel, and Sharleen Lianna Khan.New WebsiteThe Club has transferred to a new domain name and email address. The change allows us more spaceand greater control to reach out to the public and stay in touch with members.Website: www.ttfnc.orgEmail: admin@ttfnc.orghttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Trinidad-Tobago-Field-Naturalists-Club/68651412196?v=infoPUBLICATIONSThe following Club publications are available to members and non-members:The TTFNCTrail GuideMembers =TT$200.00The NativeTrees of T&T2nd EditionMembers =TT$100.00Living worldJournal 1892-1896 CDMembers =TT$175.00Living World Journal 2008Living World Journal back issuesMembers price = freeMISCELLANEOUSThe Greenhall TrustStarted in 2005, in memory of Elizabeth and Arthur Greenhall, dedicated artist and zoologist respectively,the Trust offers financial assistance to aspiring artists and biologists (in areas of flora and fauna) in Trinidadand Tobago. Full details are available on their website: http://www.greenhallstrust-wi.org/link.htmClub Polo JerseysAvailable Sizes: medium Colours: Kahki and green Costs: TT$50.00

Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists‘ ClubP.O. Box 642, Port of Spain, Trinidad and TobagoNOTES TO CONTRIBUTORSGuidelines for Articles and Field trip reports:Contributors and authors are asked to take note of the following guidelines when submitting articles forinclusion in the newsletter12Font Type: Times New RomanFont Size: 12 point3Maximum Length: 1,750 words (approx. 3 pages unformatted)4 Content Field trip reports should include a separate table listing the scientific names,common names and families of plants and animals already identified withinthe body of the report.5678Photographs Provide images in the following format JPEG, BMP, PICT, TIFF, GIFImages must not be embedded into the word processing files.Information on the image content including names of individuals shownmust be provided.Format Acceptable formats for electronic submissions are doc and txt.Deadline All articles must reach the editor by the ninth week of each quarter. Submission deadline for the 2nd Quarter 2010 issue: May 31st 2010.Email Electronic copies can be submitted to the ‗Editor‘ at admin@ttfnc.org Include the code QB2010-2 in the email subject label.9 Hard copies Hard copies can be delivered to the editor or any member of theManagement Committee.