256 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 



dergoes a peculiar cycle of de- 

 velopment, which is not gen- 

 erally known or observed, 

 namely, the sprouting of young 

 leaves directly from the pear- 

 shaped fruit. Out in the jungles 

 of the prairie this process can 

 be witnessed as late as Decem- 

 ber and January, when one or 

 more sprouts of new leaves can 

 be seen on a large number of 

 fruit-bearing cacti. 



of the Express, and quite a 

 number of such, as also of oth- 

 er bird's nests, were encount- 

 ered in the neighboring jungles, 

 all being empty and deserted, 

 of course, but all were protected 

 and the nests generally built be- 

 tween the main bifurcation of 

 the stem and leaves. Several 

 were formed entirely of parcels 

 of the wild broomweed, but the 

 nest cavity was snugly outlined 



Forest Scenery Along the Romantic San Antonio River, East op the Ancient Mission 

 "EsPADA," South op San Antonio 



"At the time of this writing, 

 in December, I encountered an 

 interesting group of such 

 sprouting opuntia cacti. The 

 main plant was over nine feet 

 high. Besides this interesting 

 metamorphosis in plant life, 

 the group also had hidden be- 

 tween several thorny cactus 

 leaves, one of the funnel-shaped 

 nests seen in a previous issue 



with soft grass and feathers, 

 and in one, remnants of the soft 

 wool of a rabbit was found. 



"The prairie plains and hilly 

 regions around San Antonio 

 and of Bexar County harbor a 

 great variety of exceedingly at- 

 tractive cacti which, especially 

 during the blooming season, at- 

 tract attention by their brilliant 

 colored flowers. Close to the 



