THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 231 



strongly xerophytic type mentioned above at Gregory Town, but is of the 

 usual low coppice character. Here was growing a little Metopium metopium 

 (L.) Small (Poison- wood), the first seen on Eleuthera, and a few specimens 

 of Bunchosia glandulosa Rich., a rare plant in the Bahamas; but the most 

 abundant species were Lantana crocea Jacq., Lantana involucrata L., Croto-n 

 lucidus L., Fagara fagara (L.) Small, Bumelia microphyUa Griseb., Melochia 

 tomentosa L., Erithalis fruticosa L., and the vines Croton lucidus L., Smilax 

 beyrichii Kunth, and Jacquemontia jamaicensis (Jacq.) Hall. Helicteres 

 spiralis Northrop was also found here for the first time since leaving New 

 Providence. 



* 



Along the side of the road, at the top of the ridge, was a good deal of a 

 little mint, Scutellaria longiflora Small, that has just been described by Dr. 

 Small from south Florida. It, of course, had not before been reported from 

 the Bahamas, and is now known only from south Florida and from this point. 



TARPUM BAY, ELEUTHERA. 



Extending back from the town for several miles is a flat, rocky plain, 

 which is bounded on the west by a range of hills. This plain was extremely 

 dry at the time we were there, but the vegetation showed little signs of suffer- 

 ing from lack of water. We found here a number of plants not before seen, 

 among them being Cardiospermum helicacabium L., Teucrium cubensc L., 

 and Cassia aspera Mich. The principal trees and scrubs that formed the 

 rather low coppice of the flat plain were Eugenia confusa DC., Acacia chorio- 

 phylla Benth., Croton lucidus L., Fagara fagara (L.) Small, Lantana involu- 

 crata L., Pithccolobium keyense Britton, Tecoma bahamense Northrop, Cor- 

 chorus hirsutus L., Torrubia colceri Britton, Coccolobis laurifolia Jacq., 

 Bourreria hcwanensis (L.) Miers, and Phyllanthus epiphyllanthus L. The 

 following were less abundant: Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg., Ichtliyomethia 

 piscipula (L.) Hitch., Metopium metopium (L.) Small, and the plants men- 

 tioned above as here first collected. The principal vines were Jacquemontia 

 jamaicensis (Jacq.) Hall, Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch., and a 

 species of Sorjania. Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) S. Kurz (Live-forever) 

 was very abundant and from its fallen leaves were growing a number of young 

 plants. 



The banana-holes that occurred here and there in the rocky plain showed 

 a type of vegetation in every respect different from the ordinary level. The 

 contrast was about as marked as if a tub of waterlilies were set among a bed 



