Notes on a Visit to Fernando Noronha. 433 



and usually obtuse, commonly forming a bunch immediately 

 beneath the base of the flower stem. The endemic cactus, 

 Cereus insularis, is everywhere very abundant. Its stems 

 are cylindrical and fluted, beset all over with long and sharp 

 prickles. This plant attains a height of four or five feet. 

 The flowers open at night, and close in tlie morning. By 

 bringing home buds we got them to blow under our observa- 

 tion, and succeeded in getting a fine view of the completely 

 opened flower, which is large, milk-white, and sweetly scented. 

 We also found a quantity of the ripe fruit — a species of pear, 

 of a bright crimson colour, with white bloom. A cross 

 section showed the centre to consist of a white substance, 

 enclosing dark-brown seeds. It had a pleasant, sweetish 

 taste, except the outer, crimson part, which is bitter and 

 nasty. The only other endemic plant is the Gonolohus mi- 

 cranthus ; it has a twining stem, with small, greenish-brown 

 flowers, and large, dry fruit. The seeds are dark-brown, 

 each having a white pappus ; the leaves are cordate, some- 

 what rounded at the apex. There are a number of Convol- 

 yulaceae, Ipomo&a pescaprcE, with large, purple-crimson flowers, 

 red stems, and broadly ovate, leathery leaves, trailed to im- 

 mense lengths over the sand dunes and the beach above high 

 water mark. Another Ijpomo&a, with white flowers, and known 

 as Salsa dJajpraia, grew in rocky places ; it blooms by night, 

 its flowers being always withered in the morning. The 

 small potato — or, as they call it here, hatata — is another 

 species of convolvulus, almost as abundant as the two just 

 mentioned. There was also another form, white in colour, 

 and one of smaller size, varying in shade from pale lilac to 

 white. The wild pumpkin {Momordica charantia) was uni- 

 versally abundant, almost smothering the trees and bushes 

 in some spots. The yellow flowers are small ; and the fruit, 

 a little orange pumpkin, about three inches long, covered 

 with tubercles. When ripe, it splits into three valves, which 

 curl up and display brilliant scarlet seeds within. The leaves 

 are of a vivid green, deeply lobed. This plant is also abun- 

 dant at Pernambuco. Melons and pumpkins, of various 

 kinds, are cultivated on stony grounds in all parts of the 

 island, and do exceedingly well. A great number of Legu- 



