CACTACE^ OF MEXICO SAFFORD. 527 



collection of the Department are many dried specimens collected by 

 him, of which the medicinal and chemical properties are to be studied 

 by drug experts. 



At Monterey, the capital of Nuevo Leon, the writer visited the 

 Lomo del Obispado, on the western edge of the city, crowned by 

 the historic Bishop's Palace, which was used as a fortification during 

 the war between Mexico and the United States. From this hill there 

 is a fine view of the lovely valley in which Monterey lies, with the 

 ])icturesque Silla, or Saddle Mountain, beyond (pi. 1). Here I col- 

 lected a number of interesting species, including the cylindrical Mam- 

 illaria leona (pi. 2, fig. 3), and the conical M. conoidea (pi. 14, fig. 1). 

 Other species were the melon-shaped Echinocactus horizonthalonius 

 (pi. 2, fig. 5), and the flatter, sharp-ribbed Echinocactus texensis (pi. 

 2, fig. 1). Many of the Echinocacti bear a general resemblance to 

 plants of the genus Cactus, usually called Melocactus, but lack the 

 cap of felt and bristles by which the latter are crowned (pi. 2, fig. 2). 

 Other interesting plants were the comb-spined Echinocereus jjectin- 

 ((tiift (pi. 2, fig. G), and Mamillarla heyderi^ a little hemispherical 

 plant with radiating bristle-like spines. There were also a few speci- 

 mens of a bushy, slender-stemmed, red-fruited Opuntia I had noticed 

 near the railway track in coming from Laredo, chiefly interesting on 

 account of the diaphanous sheaths covering the slender needle-like 

 spines (fig. 12, p. 547). 



At the Colegio Civil, where I found a pretty collection of living 

 cacti, I had the pleasure of meeting Prof. Emilio Rodriguez, of the 

 Normal School of Monterey. This gentleman gave me much use- 

 ful information regarding the principal localities for cactus collect- 

 ing in the State of Nuevo Leon. Chief among them are Santa Cata- 

 lina, near the base of the Cerro de la Mitra, a short distance west 

 of the city; Rinconado, a mountain pass between Monterey and 

 Saltillo ; Los Muertos, just over the Coahuila line beyond Rinconado ; 

 and Icamole, to the northwest of Monterey, near the Coahuila bound- 

 ary. Professor Rodriguez accompanied me on an excursion to Ica- 

 mole, where we were the guests of his compadre, Don Jose Maria 

 Garza Fernandez, an enthusiastic cactus lover, who has on his estate 

 a collection of the principal cacti growing in the State of Nuevo 

 Leon. One of the most interesting was a beautiful and rare little 

 Mamillaria with downy plumes instead of spines. This species, 

 Mamillaria plumosa^ has been confused with Mamillaria lasiacantha, 

 which has hairy spines; but it is quite distinct. It occurs on the 

 Cerro del Almendrillo, about 9 miles south of Icamole, and over the 

 boundary line at Los Muertos, in the State of Coahuila. A photo- 

 graph of its plumes, enlarged 24 diameters, is shown on plate 3, 

 figure 6. Another interesting species was the pezuiia de venado, 

 Ariocarpus Jcotschuheyanus (pi. 3, fig. 4), a small plant with a 



