352 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Among the plants used by the Tarahumara Indians was one of 

 special interest, a small, turnip-shaped, spineless cactus called Hikuli, 

 in quest of which they made long journeys to the mountains of eastern 

 Chihuahua. It proved to be the narcotic " mezcal-button " (Lopho- 

 phora williamsii), also known in Mexico by the name Peyote, or Peyotl. 

 This plant causes delightful visions and strange hallucinations, and the 

 Indians regard it with great veneration. Like their cousins, the Hui- 

 choles of the Nayarit Mountains of Jalisco, they observe certain rites 

 or ceremonies in collecting it, bringing it home, and preparing it for 

 use, which recall the superstitious practises of the rhizotomi, or root- 

 gatherers, of ancient Greece. 



Dr. Palmer's next expedition was to the state of Jalisco, where he 

 made extensive collections, especially in the vicinity of Guadalajara. 

 Not far from this city he descended into a wonderful barranca, or 

 canyon, never before visited by a botanist. The account of his discov- 

 eries at this time recalls Schiede's description of his descent into the 

 Barranca of Teocelo, near Jalapa, in the state of Veracruz. His col- 

 lection of this year included about 675 species, many of which proved 

 to be new. A preliminary report of the botanical results was quickly 

 prepared by Sereno Watson and published in the Proceedings of the 

 American Academy. 7 



The following year he collected near Guaymas, the seaport of 

 Sonora, on the island of San Pedro Martir, in the Gulf of California, 

 and at Muleje and Angeles Bay, on the gulf coast of Lower California. 

 The results were also published by Watson in Vol. 24, Proceedings of 

 the American Academy, 1889. 



During June and July, 1888, he collected for the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture in the counties of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino, 

 California. A list of his collections at this time, published by Vasey 

 and Bose, is the initial paper of the " Contributions from the U. S. 

 National Herbarium," Vol. 1, 1890. The next year he returned to 

 Lower California, collecting at San Quentin and Lagoon Head, on the 

 Pacific coast, Cedros and San Benito Islands, and once more on the 

 interesting island of Guadalupe, some distance off the coast. An ac- 

 count of the plants collected at San Quentin and a partial report of 

 those collected at Lagoon Head were published in Vol. 11 of the Pro- 

 ceedings of the U. S. National Museum, 1889. An account of the 

 remaining plants from Lagoon Head together with those collected on 

 the coast islands above mentioned was published by the same authors 

 in Vol. 1 of the " Contributions from the National Herbarium," to- 



6 " Botanische Berichte aus Mexico, mitgetheilt vom Dr. Schiede," Lirmcea, 

 Vol. 4, p. 233, 1829. 



7 " List of Plants collected by Dr. Edward Palmer in the State of Jalisco, 

 Mexico, in 1886," Proc. Am. Acad., Vol. 22, pp. 396-465, 1887. 



