i8 THE LIVING CYCADS 



way slowly, constantly slashing about with his machete. 

 There is no anxiety about getting lost, for the trail is 

 so evident that even a tenderfoot need not miss it. 



With the exception of one Australian species, Dioon 

 spinulosum is the tallest of all the cycads. Plants ten 

 to thirty feet tall are not uncommon, and I measured 

 one fine specimen which had reached a height of thirty- 

 five feet. My colleagues Dr. Barnes and Dr. Land, 

 visiting the hacienda a few months later, found speci- 

 mens fifty feet in height. 



The female cones are very large, reaching a length of 

 more than twenty inches and a weight of more than thirty 

 pounds. At first the cone is erect, but as it grows 

 its stalk elongates, and the great weight makes it hang 

 down below the crown of leaves, often bending the trunk 

 of the plant, as shown in Fig. 6. The big cone may con- 

 tain two or three hundred seeds, about an inch and a 

 half in length, which furnish meal for tortillas, as in the 

 case of Dioon edule; while the dry, stony coat of the 

 seed, with a hole cut in both ends, is a popular plaything 

 for children. 



The male cones are much smaller, and not being 

 heavy enough to hang down below the crown of leaves 

 they are harder to find. 



Of course, in such a country there are interesting 

 animals as well as plants. The jaguar, ^'big tiger," and 

 ocelot, "little tiger," are abundant, but deer are also 

 so abundant that their otherwise dangerous neighbors 

 cause the natives little anxiety. Monkeys and parrots 

 are common, and some of the snakes are large enough 

 to make their skins worth removing. Some small, 

 inconspicuous animals make their presence felt before 



