266 
The sailing charts show “‘sage-brush flats,’ but nothing of this 
kind is to be found. The only growing things on the sandy 
plains were the seedlings of some wild onion (Allium sp.), 
which gave a decided green color to the otherwise brown sand. 
On the low hills some three miles back three cactuses were 
collect 
‘wo ae were made on Magdalena Island, the first on the 
ocean side at Santa Maria Bay and the second on the bay side near 
the village of Magdalena. On this island Mr. T. S. Brandegee 
landed in January, 1888, and found it a veritable flower garden, 
but now it was like a parched desert, for the island had been 
long without rain, how long we did not learn. On Margarita, 
a neighboring island, we were told that there had been no rain 
for six years. The numerous dead cactuses and other succulents 
clearly indicated that there had been a long drought. Only 
a few desert shrubs were in flower. The most remarkable of 
depressed bush covered with lavender-colored flowers. The 
tips of the flowering stems were purple and swollen as if they had 
been stung by some insect, but careful inspection showed that 
this form is natural and is produced by the imbedded ovaries. 
At Santa Maria Bay especially there was a rich display of suc- 
culents, ten cactuses being found within a stone’s throw of the 
beach. An Agave was ay ele common. 
t Cc 
wo landing: ta Margarita 
Island, but little difference was seen in the vegetation as compare 
with that of Magdalena. An Opuntia somewhat different from 
the one on Magdalena was common and this has been made a 
distinct aes pycnantha by Dr. J. M. Coulter. <A giant cactus 
not seen on the other island, though perhaps to be found there 
also, was ae but not common 
On March 23, we reached Cape Sa Lucas, the extreme south- 
ern tip of the Peninsula, where we remained two ‘o the 
east of the Cape is a fairly good landing. Historically, this is 
one of the most interesting botanical localities in Lower Cali- 
fornia. Here it was that Hinds made a large collection of cac- 
