132 The Bota?iical Gazette. t Ma 7 



have made my way into a plantation, found a tree where the 

 nuts were within reach, cut one off and with my machete, 

 slashed away a portion of the thick husk surrounding the nut, 

 made an opening through the shell, and quaffed the cool 

 and pleasant flavored liquid within. The green cocoa-nut con- 

 tains only milk, but as it ripens the "meat" deposits around 

 the interior, at first soft and nearly tasteless, but finally hard 

 and sweet as in the nut of our markets. While the meat is 

 yet soft it is much relished by some, but to me it was insipid. 



At Crooked Island we saw the French wells, which are cut 

 in the solid rock scarcely above the sea level, and some half 

 buried cannon both of which are supposed to date back to the 

 time of the buccaneers. Along the shores we saw innumer- 

 able piles of conch shells, each with a small hole broken in 

 the end, where the conch had been pushed from its fastening 

 by the fishermen. The flesh, which to me tasted like boiled 

 leather, is much esteemed by the natives. 



The southern islands of the group yield large quantities of 

 salt. Sea-water is run into shallow ponds, each owner hav- 

 ing his portion partitioned off by a stone wall, where it is 

 evaporated by the sun. The residue is scraped into large 

 heaps near by, where it is allowed to remain exposed to the 

 sun and rain, apparently without serious loss. 



Inagua differs somewhat from the other islands of the 

 group. It is larger, more nearly circular in outline, and has 

 a deeper covering of soil. There is a more decided change 

 in the flora, Florida types being replaced by those of Cuba 

 and Hayti. Grass land is comparatively abundant, affording 

 pasturage for stock. In the interior of the island are savan- 

 nas which appear to be dried up salt marshes. The experi- 

 ence acquired during a trip to this region will furnish our 

 party with ample material for mosquito stories during the 

 rest of their ltves. The little pests were simply intolerable. 

 As we walked along they flew up in clouds from the grass, 

 biting through our clothes and even crawling up our sleeves 

 for a good drink of our rich northern blood. No doubt the 

 recording angel, that day. was obliged to devote considerable 

 attention to Inagua. I tried smearing the exposed parts with 

 oil of pennyroyal and vaseline, as has been recommended, but 

 it was of little avail against Inagua mosquitoes. On the oth- 

 er hand, while in Jamaica we were not troubled by insect 

 pests of any kind, except, in certain localities, by the ticks. 



