143 
On January Io a trip was made on foot to the home of Pro- 
fessor Earle, northeast of Herradura. The interesting savanna 
westward of Paso Real with its mixture of pine-trees and 
barrigona palm (Colpothrinax Wrightiit) was crossed and many 
interesting plants collected. Many of them were identical with 
those of the lake region already described. Next morning 
several hours were devoted to the immediate vicinity of the 
Earle estate, the afternoon and a part of the night being 
spent on the return trip. A small stream flowing southward 
to the railroad proved to be a splendid collecting ground and 
consumed most of the afternoon. On January 17 a muleback 
trip was begun to the south coast passing through a level 
Pinus-Copernicia savanna. Southeast of the town frequent 
stops for collecting were made, especially at San Juan de Zayas. 
Our hammocks were swung in a Cuban hut at San Gabriel. 
That night ena the following we drank coffee out of “guira” 
tured savannas to the sandy pine lands near the coast known as 
Pinal de la Catalina and to the mangrove swamps at the mouth 
of Rio Los Palacios, returning to San Gabriel in the afternoon, 
where explorations were continued among the low river thickets. 
Next morning we crossed the river and the partly pastured, mostly 
savanna plain to and across Rio Caiguanabo 6 San Diego, thence 
northward across the Sabal savanna in which a few scattered 
pine-trees occur, recrossing the last mentioned river at Santa 
Monica and reached El Caimital late in the afternoon. 
On the 25th of January we started on mule-back for the north 
coast with the understanding that we were to cross the mountains 
in a northerly direction to Bahia Honda, but when the foot-hills 
were reached my “ practico”’ said it was impossible to get through 
as the cyclone had destroyed the trail (everything is blamed on 
the cyclone in these parts). I was inclined to discharge the guide 
and return, but having had considerable difficulty in securing 
one for this trip, I concluded to make the best of it and followed 
westwardly along an old road to a point some distance back of 
