*%**] ' A Visit to the West Indies. 133 



Nor were we nearly so uncomfortable from the heat, as in the 



amas. 



Bah 



The trees in common cultivation through the Bahamas are 

 poinciana, 4 with its long pendent pods and feathery foliage, 

 which is deciduous in January; the almond, 5 easily distin- 

 guished at long distances by its flat-topped, imbricated foli- 

 age; "cedar", 6 sand-box, 7 and, of course, the cocoa-nut and 

 banana. 8 The silk-cotton tree, 9 or "big tree" as the inhab- 

 itants have christened it, near the post office at Nassau, fig- 

 ured in Garden and Forest (vol. iii. p. 347), is a magnificent 

 specimen, but is peculiar in being low and wide-spreading in- 

 stead of tall and proportionately more slender as is usually 

 the case. In Jamaica it is one of the tallest trees of the 

 forest, sometimes rising a hundred feet to the first branch. 

 It is used extensively for making canoes, which are hollowed 

 out from a single log, but is of little value otherwise. 



The silver-top palmetto 10 occurs abundantly throughout 

 the Bahamas. It is used by the natives for thatching their 

 huts; and also for making hats, mats, baskets, ropes, etc., 

 for which purpose the central unexpanded bunch of leaves is 

 employed. 



After leaving Inagua, we sailed for Kingston, Jamaica. 

 During our six weeks stay on this beautiful island we visited, 

 after leaving the capital, Port Morant, Port Antonio and 

 Luc/a. The party made a most delightful trip to the summit 

 of Blue Mountain Peak, distant from Kingston twenty-one 

 miles. The journey to Gordantown, about half way, was 

 made in carriages, the remainder on horseback, our provisions 

 and apparatus being carried on pack mules. Although mid- 

 winter, flowers were abundant, as were ripe strawberries, 

 which we picked and ate with relish- Above 5,000 feet, ap- 

 proximately, tree-ferns 1 Appeared and gave a decided tropical 

 look to the forest. Blue Mountain Peak reaches an altitude 

 of about 7,300 feet, the highest point on the island. The 

 temperature at noon was 55^ F., but it is said that ice occa- 

 sionally forms. From 2,000 to 4,000 feet elevation coffee and 



! £ oinc }ana regia. (Legum. ) 



lermmaha Catappa. (Combret.) 

 Casuarina equisetifolia. (Ament. ) 



' Hura crepitans. (Euphorb.) 



J Musa sapientum. (Musac.) 



• Eriodendron anfractuosum. (Bombac | 



1 ° Thrinax argentea. (Palm. ) 

 'Cyatheaarborea. (Filic.) 



