THE BAHAMAS 299 



Their topography consists of low rounded hills typical 



sand-dunes, rising to no greal height, which are usually 

 more rugged and numerous on the leeward side, where low 

 bluffs also occur. Some of these bluffs are picturesque, 

 with great boulders surrounding them which have heen 

 cast up by the sea, like the rocks called the Cow and Hull 

 on New Providence, and the bluffs of Fortune Island, or 

 with low cliffs with circular holes worn through them, like 

 the Glass Window of Eleuthera and the Hole in the Wall 

 of Great Abaco. 



With the exception of Andros, the Bahamas are all des- 

 titute of springs or running waters. Andros has a few 

 brooks and marshy streams. As in Yucatan, the rain-water 

 collects in underground reservoirs. 



The flora is tropical, but quite different in general assem- 

 blage from that of the Antilles, being more closely related 

 to that of the American coast. A majority of the islands 

 are covered by a stunted growth, largely mangrove. Only 

 a few possess forests ; the pine of our southern coast, mixed 

 with the tropical mahogany, covers some of the western 

 islands. 



Like the Antilles, the Bahamas are almost destitute of 

 native mammals. A species of opossum occurs in one of 

 the western islands near the American shore. Bird life is 

 abundant, however, and the adjacent waters are rich in 

 turtles, fishes, and beautiful mollusks. 



Lying as they do in the Gulf Stream at the border of 

 the temperate and torrid zones, the climate of the Bahamas 

 is agreeable and healthful, but subject to greater extremes 

 of heat and cold than the other West Indies. In the win- 

 ter months from November to May the temperature varies 

 from f)0 to 75, and the remainder of the year, constitut- 

 ing the warm season, from 75 to 85. The general flat- 

 ness allows the full benefit of the sea-breezes, which, with 

 the ocean views, may be considered the most valuable 

 features of these islands. 



The Bahamas are historically interesting because of their 



