24 
were very hospitably received at the home of Mr. Arthur Shaler 
Williams, where I made my headquarters during my stay of a 
little over two weeks. Having, on several occasions, the kind 
codperation of Brother Léon and the comfortable quarters at 
Mr. Williams’, my work was greatly facilitated. 
The tree-like cactus of this region, a species of Leptocereus (L. 
Leoni), was observed only on the southern slope. small colony 
containing several large individuals, one of which was fourteen 
feet tall, was found on December 19 on a hillside near Caimito, 
and an excellent wood section from one of these specimens was 
prepared for the museum. The bark of this species is very thin 
and of a grayish-green and unlike many other castuses, the wood 
is very heavy and close-grained. Many individuals were care- 
fully examined for flowers and fruits, as these are rather im- 
perfectly known, but, unfortunately, the plants were neither in 
flower or in fruit at this season. A species of Selenicereus, a 
vine-like cactus, was also collected, together with specimens of 
a species of Agave, which bore showy yellow flowers. 
Another floral feature of the range is a species of Thrinax (T. 
punctulata), which is confined to the jagged rocky slopes and per- 
pendicular cliffs on the north side. Specimens from five to thirty- 
five feet tall were growing from the shallow pockets of some of 
the cliffs. The observer can but wonder how these palms, with 
apparently so insecure a foothold on the sides of such vertical 
walls, have been able to withstand the severe storms that occa- 
sionally sweep across the island. 
Of the shrubs, Myginda uragoga, a member of the Staff-tree 
family, and a plant which appears to be of rather local distribu- 
tion in Cuba, was frequently seen on the cool, shaded slopes, 
also hanging from the faces of the cliffs. On some of the more 
exposed hillsides, a Malpighia (M. cubensis), is very plentiful. 
This species, together with a variety of other shrubs, forms a 
dense thicket through which one is obliged to proceed with great 
caution. Many of the stinging, needle-like hairs that are ap- 
pressed to the under surface of the leaves soon found a lodging 
place and caused me much discomfort. 
Several apparently uncommon species of Passiflora were found 
