MAY 1770 PLANTS AND INSECTS 273 
of insects, though indeed that fact wanted not any additional 
proofs. 
29th. We went ashore and found several plants which 
we had not before seen; among them, however, were still 
more East Indian plants than in the last harbour; one kind 
of grass which we had also seen there was very troublesome 
to us. Its sharp seeds were bearded backwards, and when- 
ever they stuck into our clothes were by these beards pushed 
forward till they got into the flesh. This grass was so 
plentiful that it was hardly possible to avoid it, and, with 
the mosquitos that were likewise innumerable, made walking 
almost intolerable. We were not, however, to be repulsed, 
but proceeded into the country. The gum-trees were like 
those in the last bay, both in leaf and in producing a very 
small proportion of gum; on the branches of them and 
other trees were large ants’ nests, made of clay, as big as a 
bushel, something like those described in Sir Hans Sloane’s 
History of Jamaica, vol. ii. pp. 221 to 258, but not so smooth. 
The ants also were small, and had white abdomens. In 
another species of tree, Xanthoxyloides mite, a small sort of 
black ant had bored all the twigs, and lived in quantities 
in the hollow part where the pith should be; the tree 
nevertheless flourishing and bearing leaves and flowers upon 
those very branches as freely and well as upon others that 
were sound, Insects in general were plentiful, butterflies 
especially. With one sort of these, much like P. Semele, Linn., 
the air was for the space of three or four acres crowded to 
a wonderful degree; the eye could not be turned in any 
direction without seeing millions, and yet every branch and 
twig was almost covered with those that sat still. Of these 
we took as many as we chose, knocking them down with 
our caps, or anything that came to hand. On the leaves 
of the gum-tree we found a pupa or chrysalis, which shone 
as brightly as if it had been silvered over with the most 
burnished silver, which it perfectly resembled. It was 
brought on board, and the next day came out into a 
butterfly of a velvet black changeable to blue; the wings, 
both upper and under, were marked near the edges with 
T 
