118 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



the beach are lines of the pink flowers of Hofmeisteria; 

 yellow and white species of Perityle grow almost every- 

 where; the curious and handsome Goiigylocarpusfruticulosus, 

 hitherto almost unknown, is one of the most common plants, 

 and the blue flowers of Jacquemontia ahutiloides grow side 

 by side with the scarlet blossoms of Mamillaria Halei. At 

 this time most of the plants are in bloom, but not even 

 space enough to notice the striking ones can be afforded 

 here. 



The collection of Magdalena plants having been completed, 

 Mr. J. P. Hale kindly allowed me to become a passenger 

 on his launch, which was then ready to leave for San Gre- 

 gorio. Progress up the lagoon was slow, the wind was 

 unfavorable, the tides were always the wrong way, but, in 

 consequence, frequent landings furnished opportunities for 

 collecting new and rare jDlants from the sandy shores. Finallj", 

 after a week's voyage, and having gone to sea through the 

 surf at the Boca de las Animas, San Gregorio was reached 

 and the work of collecting resumed. Here so many plants 

 appeared it seemed a different flora from that of Magdalena 

 Island, and species before seen varied so much from their 

 island form as to have a strange appearance. The sandy 

 soil is covered with the large flowered annual (Enothera 

 sceptrostlgma, which, after opening its flowers at nine o'clock 

 in the morning, colors the hills yellow. Prosopis, Parkin- 

 sonian Atamisquea, Schmpfia are common bushes or trees, 

 but are exceeded in height by the abundant Cereus Pringlei. 

 Jatropha, Bnrsera, Opuntia, etc., are more common than on 

 the island and, as is the case with most of the vegetation 

 within eight or ten miles of the ocean, have growing upon 

 them an abundance of the lichen " orchilla," that affords 

 employment for most of the inhabitants along the coast 

 of this region. This orchilla is picked from the cactus and 

 bushes, sent to Magdalena Bay and from there shipped to 

 England to be used in the process of dyeing. 



One of the interesting plants common about San Gregorio, 



