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after dark after much troublesome sailing, the last half of the 
distance being through very shallow water. As the lighthouse 
keeper had not yet retired, Raymond persuaded me to go with 
them to the top of the lighthouse. The effort was fully repaid 
by the moonlight view of the surrounding region, showing that 
between the sea and the mainland of Cuba there was a vast 
region of absolutely useless territory, an insect-breeding conglom- 
eration of mangrove swamp and shallow, often mud-bottomed 
lagoons, Cayo Paredon Grande itself being a triangular crust 
surrounding a large lagoon. The night was spent in comfort 
in the cabin of the mail boat, by the kind invitation of its captain, 
who insisted that it would be impossible to sleep outside, on 
account of the insects. 
The entire day of October 25 was spent in collecting on this 
cay. The nothernmost point, upon which the lighthouse is situ- 
ated, is hard lime rock 30 or 40 feet high, and in severe weather 
is washed and beaten by wind and wave. The growth upon it 
e no 
several grasses and an abundance of ‘‘mira guana”’ ( Coccothrinax), 
which grows in great quantities on most of the cay, often forming 
large groves. Continuing farther along, the beach is replaced 
by mangrove swamps. The northeastern coast for the first mile 
or so is high rock cliff, followed by a series of sand dunes 25 to 30 
feet high and supporting a flora the like of which I had not seen 
before in Cuba. These dunes shift considerably, covering and 
uncovering the palms and small trees that grow in the vicinity. 
Here too ee palms are mostly found on the inner or lagoon side, 
and not on the sh ide, as on the northwestern coast. Thedunes 
gradually become ioe and finally there is a flat sandy beach 
which in turn gives way to the mangrove formation. It is said 
that the south coast of this cay is mangrove with shallow muddy 
lagoons, and that the channel separating it from Cayo Romano is 
impassable for the smallest of boats. The following night was 
spent on our own boat in the little harbor, a stiff breeze blowing 
in from the sea protecting us from the ravages of mosquitoes and 
other insects. Next morning we sailed for Cayo Cruze, making 
