61 



It will be seen that the plant is known as the " Cockspur" tree 

 in Honduras. It is also known as the " Bull Horn" Thorn. In 

 Central America the plant is a very common one bvxt it is but rarely 

 seen in the West Indies. We have a single plant only in the Royal 

 Botanic Gardens and this has not grown to a large size. 



A recent visitor to the Island of Dominica brought a box of 

 thorns to Trinidad from a tree found there and presented them to the 

 Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens — reporting that in Dominica 

 the thorns is supposed to be extremely poisonous, and if the skin of 

 a person be scratched by it, the results are said to be very serious. 



However this may be in Dominica. In Central America there 

 are thousands of acres of this tree, and a traveller cannot traverse 

 the country without meeting with this formidable thorn. 



In Nicaragua in 1893 I passed through pasture lands on which 

 it was especially abundant, to the exclusion of other vegetation ; and 

 I was scratched frequently, on passing the trees without suffering any 

 other injury than that which arose from the mere abrasion of the skin. 

 The " Cowboys" of the country who ride half-naked through the 

 bush, do not regard them as at all dangerous, and ride hard through 

 thickets without the least fear. 



A common instance of mutual dependence is often to be seen on 

 these trees. High up on the tree will be a large black wasp's nest — 

 the inhabitants of which are most vicious of its kind, and immediately 

 below it the nest of one of the native birds. Thus there is the tree, 

 the wasps, the bird and the ant, mutually dependent one upon the 

 other for protection. 



130.-HIPPOMANE MANICBLLA. 



" Manchineel" or " Manchioneal." 



This tree has a reputation for the possession of poisonous proper- 

 ties which is not an enviable one. Many visitors to the Gardens who 

 have read Mr. Froude's book on the West Indies make enquiries for 

 this tree which he describes as being present- -but I am obliged to 

 inform them that it does not exist in the Gardens ; in fact it will only 

 thrive at, or very near to the sea coast, and must be sought for in 

 these positions. 



Barham, in his " Hortus Americanus" gives an account of its 

 poisonous properties but these accounts are much modified by subse- 

 quent writers, and the general opinion appears to be that the tree is 



