TRIP TO THE BAHAMAS 7 



of several species, bushes, and vines, and is known as "coppet" 

 (pi. 8, fig. 3). On many of the islands cocoaniit palms are intro- 

 duced and thrive well. IJoyal palms, date })alras, paAvpaws, ))read- 

 fniit and almond trees are also commonly cultivated at Nassau as 

 well as other tropical varieties. Quantities of ])ineapples are grown, 

 but the soil is so poor that it is soon exhausted. 



The land fauna is in a large measure made up of West Indian 

 species, and in part also of continental species, while a few forms are 

 wide ranging. Mr. F. M. Chapman has reviewed the origin of the 

 Bahaman avifauna in an important paper in the American Naturalist 

 several years ago (vol. 25, 1891, p. 528-539). The indigenous mam- 

 mals of the Bahamas are few. A racoon {Procyon maynardi) is 

 found on New Providence Island and is distinct from the mainland 

 variety. Several species of bats also occur. A species of Capromys 

 is found on the Plana Cays, in the southern part of the group. We 

 were informed by Mr. Robert Johnstone, of Nassau, that a manatee 

 was captured at the Bimini Islands al)out a year or more since. The 

 animal was killed by some negroes about the time of one of Mr. 

 Johnstone's visits as circuit magistrate. 



Through the kindness of Mr. Alexander Agassiz we were per- 

 mitted to make use of a hand-winch and 350 fathoms of steel cable. 

 By means of this apparatus and a twenty-inch Blake dredge or four 

 foot tangle-bar Ave made a numl)er of hauls along our route. 

 Dredging from a sailing vessel is difHcult work at any time but it is 

 particularly so when the weather conditions are unfavoraljle. We 

 set our AAdnch uj) on the starboard side of the schooner, rather far 

 aft. The cable we ran forward and through a set of blocks made 

 fast to a boom on the foremast. This extra l)oom Avas rigged under 

 the regular foreboom. In this way we were enabled to dredge over 

 the beam, a method which is far more convenient than dredging 

 over the stern. To the end of this boom was attached one of the 

 ship's runners, which served to hoist the load on deck, and a guy, 

 which Avas carried forAvard and ma<le fast to one of the cat-heads. 

 This arrangement is shoAvn in fig. 4 (pi. 3) which giA^es one an idea 

 of how the whole apparatus a])j)eared from the boAV. With this 

 apparatus Ave made a number of successful hauls '\\\ from three to 

 tAventy fathoms. But in deeper Avater, say fifty fathoms, the Avork 

 becomes very difficult as Avell as precarious. The lack of a spring 

 accumulator and the character of the bottom were our main dif- 



