THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 241 



have called the higli coppice where moisture is more plentiful. It may 

 perhaps be explained from the dry conditions being here modified by an un- 

 usually productive soil, for the soil is of red loam, which is the most fertile 

 on the Islands. 



On the opposite side of the island from the town we found several hog- 

 cabbage palms growing in a thick coppice of Eeynosia septentrionalis Urban 

 (Darling plum). This was the third time we had seen the hog-cabbage palm, 

 and nowhere was it large. 



WHICH POINT, ABACO. 



The shore at this point was rocky and sandy. In addition to the usual 

 beach plants, such as Suriana maritima L., Salniea petrohioides Griseb., 

 Toumefortia gnaplialodes (Jacq.) E. Br., Uniola paniculata L., Iva imbri- 

 cata Walt., Distichlis maritima Eaf., Cenchrus trihuloides L., Ambrosia hispida 

 Pursli, Hymenocallis arenicola Northrop, and Ipomoea" pes-caprce L., etc., we 

 found here for the second time the new Evphovhia with whitish leaves (Euphor- 

 bia cayensis Millsp.), first collected from Eum Cay. On the low, narrow sand 

 ridge just back of the beach grew an abundance of Dodomm viscosa L., men- 

 tioned above from Eum Cay, and a little Iclitliyomctliia piscipula (L. ) Hitch. 

 (Dog-wood), neither of which had before been seen in such a situation. In ad- 

 dition to these, the principal plants of this elevation were Cassia clioriopliylla 

 (Cinnecord), Ernodca litioralis Sw., Bourrerla havanensis (L.) Miers 

 (Strong-back), Jacqidnin l-eyensis Mez (Joe-wood), Erithalis fruticosa L. 

 (Black torch), Bumelia lorantliifolia (Pierre) Britton (Milk plum), Genipa 

 clusio'foJia (Jac(|. ) Grisel).. Tetnizygia bicolor (Mill.) Cogn., Torruhia longi- 

 foliii (Heimerl) Britton, Swietenia mahogani L. (Mahogany), Fagara coriacea 

 (Yellow-wood), and Cassytlia fiUformis L. Juniperus barbadensis L. (Cedar) 

 was not seen here, but occurred sparingly farther inland. Behind the beach 

 was a Conocarpus-flat of the usual character, and this was followed by the 

 extensive pine-barrens, which occupy a large part of the island. The ground 

 in these barrens was covered with a dense, tangled growth of Pteridium cau- 

 da.tum (L.) Kuhn (Ma^'pole fern) from 4 to 6 feet high. This growth we 

 found more difficult to penetrate than any we had met with. Our progress 

 could liardly be called walking, and it took us about an hour to pass a half 

 mile into it. This extraordinarily dense growth of fern was no doubt partly 

 to be accounted for l)y the repeated burnings to which the forest had been sub- 

 jected in order to facilitate the hunting of wild hogs. Plate XXXVII, Fig. 2, 

 16 



