94 CUBA TREE. 



in vain for some clear streamlet, in which to quench 

 their thirst. How grateful, too, the cups filled 

 with rain-water, which are often found in the 

 branches of the cuha or wild cotton tree, formed 

 by the peculiar configuration of the leaves of a 

 species of pine, each leaf holding a quart, which 

 while it refreshes the gigantic trunk of the friendly 

 cuba, it affords a welcome draught to the w r eary 

 traveller. 



This noble tree offers one of the most imposing 

 spectacles in nature. It may be seen towering to 

 the height of nearly one hundred feet, a majestic 

 column, clear of branches till within twenty feet of 

 the top, and, at its base, spreading forth its prin- 

 cipal roots above the ground, as if bracing itself 

 against the tempest. High over head, and often 

 covering a space of nearly two hundred feet, the 

 ample branches of this stately tree, spreading forth 

 horizontally and symmetrically, form a canopy, 

 for width and grandeur, worthy of the trunk below. 

 Curious is it to observe the numerous families 

 that -find here a safe retreat. The towering cot- 

 ton tree is a world in itself, peopled with innu- 

 merable living creatures, and often supporting a 

 colony of parasitic plants. The wild pine apple 

 grows luxuriantly on its topmost branches, vines 

 vegetate on its extended limbs, and run down- 

 wards to the earth, coiling like ropes, and yielding, 

 when cut, a pleasant and refreshing juice. They 

 serve, too, as rope-ladders to various animals; rats 

 and mice, monkeys, squirrels, and oppossums, who 

 would find it difficult to ascend the smooth and 

 branchless trunk, run up them with the greatest 



