368 
and it is noticeable that not only do many of the Cayman plants, e.¢., 
Hippomane Mancinella, Portulaca oleracea,* Swietenia Mahagoni, 
Thrinax argentea, Mart., grow where their roots are sometimes 
covered by salt water (the extreme range of ordinary tides is about 
2 feet), but that land birds such as Dendroeca are common among the 
mangroves miles from any fresh water except occasional dew or rain 
on Rhizophora or Laguncularia, The other “ mangrove ” Avicennia, 
which exudes brine from its leaves, generally has leaves and twigs 
“frosted ” and glistening with salt crystals and not even a lichen, 
far less an orchid, seems able to exist on it, though Schomburgkia 
Thomsoniana, the common orchid of Grand Cayman, is frequent 
on Laguncularia and is occasionally to be found on old trees of 
Rhizophora. 
A snake, Ungalia maculata, seems quite at homein salt water 
among these trees, as do water beetles and water boatmen. Dragon 
flies too abound and go through their metamorphoses in the sea. 
More than this the almost perpetual sea breezes which sweep the 
island, and give it an ideal climate from the human point of view,t} 
bring with them so much spray from the reefs that wire mosquito 
netting, galvanized copper, even phosphor-bronze, has a lifetime 
if anything shorter than that of the “ butterfly net” variety ; and 
‘fe surmount every tree at all above the general level of 
So it will be seen that Grand Cayman is by no means a suitable 
place for the establishment of any organism at all intolerant of 
salt, of course in those parts of the island where the surface is more 
than a foot or two above the level of high tides, where there is some 
_ soil, and where there is a sufficient extent of “bush” to give 
shelter from the sea breeze, conditions are more favourable, and 
seeds of non-maritime plants brought by birds or the wind have 
some chance of growing and getting established. 
Passiflora cuprea, Za apparently been brought by a bird within 
the last few years and is certainly being spread rapidly by this 
means. It seems to have been unknown to the islanders until lately 
and it is most unlikely that they would not have had knowledge 
of and a name for a plant, such as this, with conspicuous flowers 
beaches of Grand Cayman without finding a seed of some sort ; 
leguminous, probably, if it is not one from a Manicaria palm, 
though there are plenty of others. 
er jetsam includes electric light bulbs, occasionally in perfect 
order, but, as it is impossible to say where they have come from, of 
no particular interest ; and bottles, which are sometimes more 
instructive. Recently two have contained messages ; one, most 
unfortunately xudubed. and only partly legible, was from Ceara in 
oO le ee 
* This is able t i plete submersion by at least four successive tides. 
+ The death rate of Grand Cayman is one of the lowest in the world—below 
years. 
8 for the last 3 
