36 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. (VoL. XXXII. 
Along the sandy beaches /pomoca pes-caprae abounds, and 
with this the curious “shore grape,” Coccoloba, and other 
characteristic forms are common. In many places are de- 
pressions just back of the shore, and these form swampy 
jungles, with the trees laden with a perfect tangle of lianas 
and other epiphytic growths. Here and there in the more 
open places are groups of prickly stemmed “ groo-groo ” 
palms (Acrocomia), — the first indigenous palms we had 
seen. 
Leaving the shore, the road passes over the mountains and 
part of the time is in sight of the forest, although for the most 
part the land along the route of the railroad is under cultiva- 
tion. As we ascend the tree ferns become common, and a 
number of beautiful palms are noticed, among them the superb 
cabbage palm, Oveodoxa oleracea, with its slender, straight shaft 
shooting up sometimes a hundred feet and more. Gigantic 
bamboos cover the hillsides and grow in great masses along 
the streams, their exquisite green plumes being among the 
most beautiful of vegetable growths. This magnificent plant 
has been introduced probably from India, but is now thoroughly 
naturalized all over Jamaica. 
As the summit is passed and the descent toward the southern 
side of the island begins, a difference in the character of the 
vegetation soon becomes apparent, and the very much diminished 
rainfall on this side of the island is at once indicated by the 
very different plants met with. This becomes more and more 
marked as Kingston is approached. Leguminous trees, Proso- 
pis, logwood (Hzematoxylon), Pithecolobium, characteristic of a 
drier region, are common, and several Cacti, Opuntias, and 
species of Cereus give a very distinct stamp to the landscape. 
The contrast between the semi-arid country about Kingston 
and the rank luxuriance of the vegetation at Port Antonio 1s 
most striking. 
At Kingston we were met by Mr. Fawcett, the director of 
the public gardens of the island, who throughout our stay did 
everything possible to aid us in our work. Had it not been 
for his kindness it would have been quite impossible for us tO 
have made our trip as successful as it was. 
