84 BRITISH HONDURAS. 



that the " essence of the henequin trade is its certain and 

 abundant profit. The fibre costs the planter, by the time that 

 he has it in the bale, about two-thirds of a cent per pound. The 

 freight charge per pound to New York is three-quarters of a cent. 

 Adding commissions and incidental expenses, the total charge 

 on each pound sold is close upon one-and-a-half cent, and the 

 selling price per pound is from five to seven cents. In the 

 English market the price of sisal hemp is about 30 per ton." 



In the neighbourhood of the settlements in the south a 

 common tree is the " cockspur " (Acacia spadicifera), which 

 derives its name from the fact of its being armed with formid- 

 able curved spines, about 2 inches long, produced in pairs at 

 the base of each branch and leaf. The spines on examination are 

 found to be hollow, and probably have been excavated by a 

 colony of small ants which have established themselves there. 

 Critically noticed, a small aperture is seen on the side near one 

 end of a horn, through which the ants pass in and out. The 

 other horn, although hollow, has no aperture on the outside, and 

 as the inside partition between the two horns has been removed 

 the ants have snug and safe quarters which can be very easily 

 defended. During the wet season all these horns are filled 

 with ants, which keep guard over every portion of the plant, and 

 especially against the aggressions of the leaf-cutting ants. As 

 the " cockspur," being an acacia, has numerous glands frequented 

 by the ants, they are not only securely housed but are pro- 

 vided with a bountiful supply of food. Another plant which is 

 used by ants for nests is Tococa coriacea, a common Melastomad 

 in the neighbourhood of Belize. The leaf-stalks below have a 

 kind of bladder or pouch attached to them, divided longitu- 

 dinally into two compartments. The ants avail themselves of 

 these cavities and utilise them, as in the case of the hollow 

 processes of the cockspur, as nests. It is remarkable how regu- 



