THE OUTDOOR WORLD 



347 



skeletons are dug up, the soles of the 

 feet are as well preserved as the bones. 



The most conspicuous of peculiar 

 South African plants is the Euphorbia 

 (Fig". 2.) Many species are small pros- 

 trate annuals, like our Euphorbia macu- 

 lata i spotted spurge,) but those shown 

 here are trees about sixty feet in height. 

 The large tree in the foreground is 

 quite characteristic. The smaller 

 branches break off, so that the larger 

 branches are long and bare, except for 

 a tuft of small branches at the end. 

 Finally, some strong wind sways the 

 tufted branch until it also breaks off. 

 Consequently, the full sized tree has 

 a long trunk with branches only at 

 the top. Scars, left by the torn-off 

 branches, may be seen on the large tree 

 in the foreground. 



This is called the milk tree, and a 

 blow with the ax does bring out a 

 sticky white fluid, which looks like 

 milk, but which does not ta^te like it. 

 I was told that all the Euphorbias 

 shown in the picture belong to the 

 same species. Euphorbia tetragona. If 

 this is true, the species certainly shows 

 a great variation in the general appear- 

 ance of the branching. 



Much smaller, but scarcelv less i*i- 



F1G. 3. EUPHORBIA PULVINATA, ON THE 

 WTNBVOGELBERG AT CATHCARA, SOUTH 

 AFRICA. 



teresting, is another species of the same 

 genus, Euphorbia pulvinata (Fig. 3.) 

 The plant shown in the figure is a fair 

 specimen and is less than two feet high. 

 It looks like some of the Mexican cacti. 

 If one should tear the plant to pieces, 

 he would find that it is a profusely 

 branched little tree, the terminal branches 

 of which are so tightly crowded to- 

 gether as to conceal entirely the fact 

 that it has a stem and branches. 



South Africa is a splendid place for 

 field studies of characteristic plants, 

 and the unbounded hospitality and act- 

 ive co-operation of the directors of 

 botanical gardens make it easy to reach 

 the best places for any particular in- 

 vestigation. 



FIG. 2. EUPHORBIA TETRAGONA, ALONG THE KEI RIVER. ABOUT ONE -HUNDRED MILKS 

 NORTHWEST FROM EAST LONDON, SOUTH AFRICA. 



