105 
out much clearing of the way and we were thus enabled to ex- 
amine the vegetation of a large part of the area, the launches of 
the “ Newark”’ obligingly landing us wherever desirable. 
e coral limestone bench is characterized by a beautiful 
silver-thatch palm (Coccothrinax) and with it is associated a flora 
of low trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants of great variety, some 
of them of much botanical interest. Along the borders of the 
low plains grow plants of saline soil, mostly of wide distribution 
Fic. 18. Cucevthrinax, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 
in the West Indies. In the thickets at low elevations, another 
group of species occurs and here we were delighted to find two 
of the cactuses which we were especially desirous of seeing. One 
of these is a diminutive species of Mami/laria, not over two inches 
in diameter, which grows among fallen leaves under trees and 
shrubs, difficult to detect, but fortunately found by Mrs. Britton 
while searching for mosses, and after its habitat had been thus 
determined, it was found in considerable quantities, growing in 
