290 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
in the hollows rather than on the hilltops may be entirely accounted _ 
for by the wind movements. The rounded hills are wind worn, and _ 
there are no gullies due to rushing water. It is noticeable that it 
is the northern shore that has the gradual slope, and the southem i 
that is precipitous. This of course is due to the fact that the prevalent — 
wind is from the northeast rather than from the south. - 
As to the vegetation that occurs on such an island it is either adapted so 
to a life on the salt seashore or suited to withstand extreme drought ks 
inland. The land spit on the eastern end is bordered on the inside — 
shore by mangroves. The beach about the “‘salina” or salt lake a 
produces the customary Batis, Salicornia, Trianthema, and Alter 
nanthera. On the inland side of the salt plain the bushes of Castela 
are abundant. Cassia hispidula is scattered here also. Pavonia a 
cochensis is abundant in the sandy valley back of San Pedro. The 
valleys are characterized by the low Pereskia trees, the Acacias, and ze 
Gomphia, Guaiacum, Pithecolobium, and the largest of the trees, 
- Bumelia cuneata, about three meters high. The smaller plants here 
are Jatropha gossypifolia, Solanum polyacanthos in the valleys; Croton, 
\ 
Argithamnia, Opuntia, Melocactus, and Waltheria on the rocky 
hillsides or hilltops; and in the most rocky as well as in sandy places 
Stylosanthes viscosa, the most abundant plant on the island. 
Of all the foregoing plants only one, Argithamnia cochensis, is CX 
ceptional in color. This is dark red throughout. ‘The other plants 
are gray at least as to the trunk and stem, und the leaves are @ gray 
green and either protected by dense pubescence or are leathery. 
There appeared to be no plants of economic importance 0B the 
island. A few straggling palms are in the village of San Pedro, but ; 
they appeared to be neither in flower nor in fruit. : 
At the time of our visit, the only plants in bloom were Stylosanthes, % 
Caesalpinia, and Bumelia. On Gomphia many dried remnants bee 
fruits still remained. This, together with the fact that several trees 
showed signs of budding, suggests that at another time more flowers - 
and possibly more plants might be found. As a matter of fact N0- 
annuals were collected, but all were plants with extremely long and 
woody roots. Some specimens of Stylosanthes which were but 8 
in height above ground had roots 22 cm. long. | x 
This collection while meager in its specimens probably repre a 
sents well the flora of the island. The result may be summarized a8 ” 
follows: — 
