few care to reach it, either by walking or on horseback, but we 

 may hope that at least the lower levels of the Luquillo reserve 

 may some clay be penetrated by a carriage road, so that all may 

 have the opportunity of seeing this extremely instructive and 

 elegant tropical forest. 



On leaving Utuado, our next stop was at Ponce, reached by 

 carriages over the continuation of the Arecibo-Utuado road, com- 

 pleted since the annexation of the island, and a great boon to the 



much for the people and the completion of the well-designed and 

 elaborate plan of the Insular Government will provide many miles 

 of additional driveway within the next few years. From Ponce, 



dry limestone hills west of that city toward Tallaboa, which are 

 characterized by the interesting little fan-palm, Thrinax Ponceana; 

 specimens of this was secured, as well as of several species of 

 cacti, which abound in this arid region, and also of numerous 

 kinds of shrubs ; the flora of this district has many elements in 

 common with that of some of the Bahama Islands. Dr. Howe 

 made a considerable collection of interesting seaweeds at Tallaboa, 

 and we all wished that more time was available for the explora- 

 tion of this part of the island. 



Parts of two days were next spent in the vicinity of Coamo 

 Springs, noteworthy for its hot baths ; here we were also within 

 the dry area of the island, the high mountains to the north and 

 east condensing the moisture of the tradewinds so that little rain 

 falls on the southern side of the island. Our most noteworthy 

 botanical observation in this vicinity was the discovery in full 

 bloom of a hitherto unknown tree of the Polygala family, with 

 enormous masses of small purple flowers, and at the time almost 

 devoid of leaves ; standing on a steep rocky bank, with a green 

 background, it was one of the most elegant floral features ever 

 seen by us, and its rarity is indicated by the fact that only one 

 individual was found ; the foliage of this tree was obtained by 

 Herr Sintenis, a German collector, near Utuado in 1887, but its 

 flowers had not been previously seen by botanists and conse- 

 quently the plant has never been described or named. The beau- 



