W1 
the island. Immediately after we left Coamo the vegetation pre- 
sented the appearance of having suffered from a protracted 
drougth ; the fields usually green, looked brown and dingy ex- 
being caught at the market in the midst of a perfect torrent of 
rain, we were obliged to go to our hotel, three blocks away, in 
carriages as the only alternative to pee ankle deep in water a 
the street crossings, the result of a half hour's rain. 
nce, excursions were ey to Yauco and vicinity. and 
Springs, where their development is more extensive, to the region 
about Guyanilla where their development appears to reach a max- 
imum. Here the various species of cactus form genuine thickets 
often covering many square rods of ground and so closely set 
together as to produce barriers impassable to man or beast. In- 
represent both t at-stemmed forms (Opuntia) and the co- 
lumnar forms (Cereus). All species seen were sent to the 
Garden in the form of cuttings and are now in cultivation in our 
conservatories. At ce occurred the unpleasant feature 
trip, some of o arty being temporarily disabled doubt- 
less owing to some impurities in the drinking water, add in- 
t t with the cuisine of the Spanish hotels 
This delay entailed a loss of five days of active work and ulti- 
mately prevented our making the visit to what is probably the 
most interesting part of an island botanically, namely, the Lu- 
quillo mountains, and particularly the peak of El Y wngue 
