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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  Salvador 
  is 
  not 
  rich 
  in 
  species 
  of 
  palms, 
  and 
  except 
  for 
  coconuts 
  

   these 
  tropical 
  plants 
  are 
  not 
  often 
  dominating 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  land- 
  

   scape. 
  Coconuts 
  are 
  abundant 
  at 
  lower 
  altitudes, 
  and 
  the 
  towns 
  of 
  

   Sonsonate 
  and 
  San 
  Vicente 
  are 
  especially 
  distinguished 
  for 
  their 
  

   wealth 
  of 
  these 
  most 
  graceful 
  of 
  all 
  tropical 
  trees. 
  The 
  coyol 
  (Acro- 
  

   comia 
  vinifera) 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  many 
  places. 
  It 
  has 
  plumelike 
  leaves 
  

   and 
  hard 
  round 
  fruits 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  useful. 
  Around 
  Con- 
  

   chagua 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  other 
  places 
  there 
  are 
  groves 
  of 
  fan 
  palms, 
  whose 
  

   leaves 
  are 
  employed 
  for 
  weaving 
  hats. 
  In 
  the 
  coastal 
  country 
  there 
  

   are 
  too 
  frequent 
  thickets 
  of 
  huiscoyol 
  (Bactrim 
  subglobosa) 
  , 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  most 
  pernicious 
  plants 
  in 
  existence. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  shrubby 
  palm, 
  grow- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  clumps, 
  and 
  armed 
  everywhere 
  with 
  long, 
  dark-brown 
  spines 
  

   that 
  have 
  points 
  as 
  sharp 
  as 
  needles. 
  Huiscoyol 
  thickets 
  are 
  literally 
  

   impenetrable. 
  The 
  fruits 
  are 
  edible 
  — 
  more 
  than 
  that 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  

   said 
  of 
  them. 
  At 
  the 
  little 
  fishing 
  village 
  of 
  Olomega 
  boys 
  and 
  

   grown 
  men 
  were 
  gathering 
  big 
  bunches 
  of 
  them 
  and 
  cracking 
  the 
  

   nuts 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  white 
  kernels, 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  showed 
  marked 
  relish. 
  

   They 
  insisted 
  upon 
  my 
  trying 
  them, 
  and 
  I 
  found 
  them 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  

   consistency 
  of 
  aspen 
  wood 
  and 
  equally 
  delightful 
  in 
  flavor. 
  

  

  The 
  trees 
  that 
  produce 
  cabinet 
  woods 
  are 
  almost 
  without 
  number. 
  

   Mahogany 
  is 
  found, 
  although 
  not 
  now 
  very 
  plentiful. 
  The 
  mahog- 
  

   any 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  coast 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  species 
  from 
  that 
  occurring 
  

   in 
  eastern 
  Central 
  America, 
  and 
  grows 
  on 
  dry 
  hillsides, 
  while 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  is 
  a 
  swamp 
  tree. 
  Mahogany 
  is 
  so 
  common 
  in 
  

   Central 
  America 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  treated 
  with 
  scarcely 
  more 
  consideration 
  

   than 
  is 
  hard 
  pine 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  Beautiful 
  ebony, 
  hard 
  and 
  

   almost 
  jet 
  black, 
  is 
  furnished 
  by 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  trees. 
  From 
  the 
  conn- 
  

   caste 
  {Entcrolobium 
  cyclocarjmm) 
  or 
  ear 
  tree, 
  whose 
  fruits 
  are 
  

   coiled 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  resemble 
  an 
  ear, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  cuapinol 
  

   (Hymcnaca 
  courbaril), 
  which 
  also 
  produces 
  a 
  gum 
  useful 
  for 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  varnishes, 
  are 
  obtained 
  valuable 
  woods, 
  and 
  the 
  list 
  might 
  be 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  indefinitely. 
  

  

  ANIMAL 
  LIFE. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  country 
  so 
  thickly 
  settled, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  animals 
  have 
  

   long 
  since 
  disappeared, 
  and 
  in 
  Salvador 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  danger 
  from 
  the 
  

   savage 
  beasts 
  that 
  are 
  popularly 
  supposed 
  to 
  infest 
  tropical 
  lands. 
  

   Jaguars 
  and 
  pumas, 
  I 
  believe, 
  still 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  remote 
  regions, 
  but 
  

   tapirs 
  have 
  been 
  nearly 
  or 
  quite 
  exterminated. 
  Deer 
  are 
  plentiful 
  in 
  

   some 
  localities, 
  and 
  tame 
  fawns 
  are 
  often 
  kept 
  as 
  pets. 
  The 
  largest 
  

   wild 
  mammals 
  that 
  I 
  saw 
  were 
  rabbits, 
  and 
  only 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  of 
  them. 
  

   Parrots 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  kinds 
  are 
  abundant 
  locally, 
  but 
  not 
  often 
  very 
  con- 
  

   spicuous. 
  To 
  one 
  who 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  ornithologist 
  the 
  other 
  birds 
  are 
  

   not 
  particularly 
  interesting, 
  except 
  the 
  turkey 
  vultures 
  or 
  zopes, 
  

  

  