46 THE JOURNAL OP BOTANY 



of them doubtless travel between North and South America, 

 passing through the Caribbean Islands on their way. Unfortu- 

 nately, great havoc has been caused among all the birds of the 

 Islands, especially the Trochilidae and Passeridae, by the Mon- 

 goose. This lives in a wild state, having been introduced 

 originally to keep down the rats. It has thoroughly gained a 

 footing and is hkely to maintain it in spite of the persecution it 

 is now subjected to on account of its ravages among birds and 

 lizards, Nature's sentinels over the insect pests which harass the 

 crops of the island. Seeds introduced by birds would usually be 

 those likely to occur in the soft mud from ponds or swamps 

 which might adhere to the feet ; I think it is very doubtful indeed 

 whether there are any plants in Antigua in these situations which 

 can have been brought in this way. It is interesting to note, 

 in this connection, that a Misseltoe is abundant in Barbuda and 

 bears berries freely, and yet it is never or very rarely (I have 

 never seen it) found in Antigua, although its host plant, the 

 Loblolly, is fairly common ; and Misseltoe depends on birds for its 

 seed-dispersal. 



So that, in the main, the Flora of Antigua is of great antiquity, 

 and its origin can only be explained when the origin of the islands 

 of the Lesser Antilles has been determined. 



General Characters. — The climatic conditions described above 

 make Antigua a thoroughly xerophytic station. In every part w^e 

 find prickles, spines, reduced leaf-surface, fleshy leaves, thick- 

 skinned leaves, overlapping leaves. Again and again during the 

 year, as weeks of dryness intervene, leafless and flowerless stems 

 meet the eye in every direction, rendered all the more conspicuous 

 by the bursts of leafage and flowering when a few inches of rain 

 revive these hardy plants. And w^oe to the unlucky botanist 

 whose period for collecting coincides with a period of drought ! 



The vegetation is largely composed, both as regards species 

 and individuals, of a few dominant orders. 



The Grass Family (Graminese) takes a foremost place, as it does 

 throughout the world. But the Antiguan species are very poor and 

 stringy, and include hardly any kinds which are useful as fodder. 

 Some of them, such as the Devil's Grass (Cynodon Dactylon), with 

 its long troublesome suckers, and the Burr Grass {Cenchrus trihu- 

 loides) have subterranean stems which serve to withstand drought 

 as well as to perform vegetative reproduction. Other common 

 grasses are Sporobohis indicus and the Bamboo Grass (Arundi- 

 naria). But it is difficult in many cases to decide between 

 aboriginal plants and those whose seeds have been brought in 

 from Barbados or elsewhere. The grasses are wide-spread, as a 

 rule, and not typical of the various botanical divisions of the island 

 dealt with below. 



The Leguminosae are very abundant, all three sub-orders being 

 represented. The Acacias, locally called Cossi, form the pre- 

 ponderating part of the scrub, which originally covered all the 

 lower parts of the island. Papilionaceae abound, being mostly 

 twiners ; none of them have leaf-tendrils. Many Csesalpinise 



