REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 23 



July, 1920. A collection aggregating 10,000 specimens, representing 

 about 2,700 collection numbers, was secured by Mr. Leonard in sev- 

 eral characteristic regions. This material will prove of exceptional 

 value and interest from the fact that, little botanical collecting hav- 

 ing been done in Haiti, the flora is in consequence very imperfectly 

 known. The field work may be summarized as follows : 



After completing their outfit at Port au Prince, the point of arrival, Dr. 

 Abbott and Mr. Leonard proceeded by railroad to St. Marc, thence by native 

 fishing schooner to Gonave Island, lying a short distance off the coast. This 

 island, which is about 30 miles long from east to west and 10 miles broad, is 

 entirely of coral formation, which decomposes to form a very rich reddish soil. 

 Work was carried on principally upon the northern side. A low mountain range 

 forms the backbone of the island, intersected by occasional sharp ravines, in 

 which are found a very few springs. The coast is bordered by an almost un- 

 broken fringe of mangroves, back of which is a belt of bare saline flats. Next 

 in succession is a region of low arid foothills, from which the mountains rise 

 rather abruptly. The hills and slopes are covered with thorny thickets, chiefly 

 of leguminous shrubs and low trees, with cacti interspersed, but the uplands 

 (called La Table) open in large grassy areas, with only scattered trees and 

 shrubs, which afford rich pasture. About three weeks were spent on the north 

 side of the island, working from Anse Galette and Etroite, and somewhat later 

 a week on the south shore, with the small village of Pickney as base. 



The second part of the exploration covered the region west and south of 

 Lake Saumatre. Access was easily gained by railroad from Port au Prince to 

 Etang, on the west shore of the lake. After a week's collecting in the vicinity 

 of Etang the party traveled by boat to Fond Parisien, on the southeast shore, 

 and, procuring donkeys, proceeded overland to Mission, in the midst of the La 

 Salle Mountains, where an altitude of 2,000 meters was reached. From this 

 elevation down to 900 meters the slopes were sparsely covered with pines, and, 

 where protected from fire, with dense thickets that sheltered a luxuriant growth 

 of ferns. About two weeks were spent in collecting in this region. 



The final portion of the field work was carried on in the region of Furcy, 

 which lies a short distance south of Port au Prince. The collections here were 

 made mostly on the wooded ridge east of Furcy on the trail to Grande Touraine. 

 The region is well watered and has a delightful climate, but the country about 

 Furcy itself has been almost entirely cleared of forests. 



Of the plants collected perhaps one-third are ferns, the remaining portion con- 

 sisting of shrubs and herbaceous plants, among which are a considerable number 

 of grasses and cacti. The cacti appear to be of special interest. 



BOTANICAL EXPEDITION TO BRITISH GUIANA. 



Through the cooperation of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, and the New 

 York Botanical Garden, a trip to British Guiana was made by Dr. 

 A. S. Hitchcock, custodian of the section of grasses, National Museum. 

 Doctor Hitchcock reports: 



I left New York October 4 and arrived at Georgetown, British Guiana, October 

 22, visiting on the way down the islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitts, 

 Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, and Barbados. On the 

 return trip in February the islands of Trinidad and Grenada were visited. Col- 



