1885.] PEOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 521 



louged, however, they lose much of their water by evaporation and be- 

 come very thin ; the pulp shrinks and the fibrous frame- work prepon- 

 derates ; in this state they are liable to cause sickness in animals feed- 

 ing on them. During the three or four winter months, on the Lower 

 Rio Grande, sheep often get no other food than Nopal leaves. Every 

 morning the shepherd cuts down, with his handax, or " machete," the 

 amount required for the day ; as a rule he does not fire them. It is to 

 be noted that as long as they feed on them the sheep require no drinking 

 water. 



The Nopal leaf is much used by Mexicans and frontiersmen as a 

 poultice in bruises, ulcers and sores of all kinds. It is first slightly 

 toasted to remove bristles and thorns, as well as to warm and soften the 

 pulp ; then it is split in two, or simply one of the surfaces shaved off, 

 and the exposed pulp applied to the part. From the testimony of many 

 intelligent people I am inclined to regard this as an excellent healing 

 and gently stimulating application. 



It is also useful to clarify water. After being scorched it is mashed 

 into a pulp which when thrown in water, like egg albumen, drags all 

 impurities to the bottom. 



Again, this leaf may be prepared for food by boiling it in salt water; 

 if afterwards cut up into a hash with eggs and chile Colorado, it makes 

 quite a savory dish. 



Opuntia Ungelmanni, dulcis, and other species of flat-jointed Prickly 

 Pear, common along the Rio Grande and Southwestern Texas, produce 

 large berries, 1 to 2 inches long, full of a purplish pulp, sometimes sweet 

 and pleasantly acidulous, at other times insipid and nauseous, and al- 

 ways full of small, indigestible seeds. Mexicans and Indians are fond 

 of them. 



The 0. JEngelmanni, on the Lower Rio Grande, and 0. tuna in Northern 

 Mexico and California, which under favorable conditions grow stout and 

 tall, with a tendency to spread, are often trained into hedges around 

 houses and gardens, which are as effective as ornamental. These plants 

 are easily grown, as any joint stuck in the ground generally takes root. 



Auhalonium fissuratum, Eng. (Peyote.) 



Napiform cactus, with flat, fissured top, hardly rising above the ground, 

 producing a handsome pink flower in the early summer. Found on 

 rocky highlands west of Devil's River, specially in Presidio County, ex- 

 tending thence into Mexico. 



The fleshy part of the plant is used, and i^ieces are found in most 

 Mexican houses. An infusion of it is said to be good in fevers. It is 

 principally as an intoxicant that the Peyote has become noted, being 

 often added to " tizwiu " or other mild fermented native drink to render 

 it more inebriating. If chewed it produces a sort of delirious exhila- 

 ration which has won for it the designation of " dry whisky." 



