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prairie almost entirely destitute of vegetation, and on the steep slopes 

 of the hills no grass at all among the numerous timber growths. I saw 

 a large number of goats browsing on the numerous shrubs and trees 

 along tfhe cliffs and on the hill-sides. Along the irrigating ditches by 

 the Government gardens, amid a rank growth of other herbage, I found 

 good specimens of such grasses as Ghloris elegans, iSporobolus cryptan- 

 dras, Eragrostls mexicana, Panicum obtusam, Panicum colonum, and a few 

 others. From Fort Davis I took an expedition to the "Pineries," and was 

 favored with the company of Mr. William Lloyd, an enthusiastic orni- 

 thologist and entomologist, who was making a collection of birds for a 

 jSTew York museum. Our route was through the western division of 

 Limpia Canon, our road winding along the clear flowing Limpia Creek 

 towards its source. 



All along the Limpia Creek and its branches much of the land is used 

 for pasture ; generally in the broad parts of the valleys, but also where 

 the valleys are made abrupt by the hills sloping down to either side of 

 the creek. I noticed by the side of some of the ravines and cliffs rem- 

 nants of last year's flora, such as dry stalks of the grasses Elionurus 

 candidus, Ejpicam/pes distichophylla, and a few others that are prominent 

 in the fresh vegetation of the mountain sides in the fall. In all the 

 mountain regions of Texas the rains of August and September bring 

 new life to vegetation. Through the spring months — though many of 

 the trees and shrubs are in bloom in May — there seems to be with the 

 grasses and other herbage an entire suspension of growth away from 

 the water-courses. I noticed in a few places, still covering small areas, 

 dry plants of some of the Grama grasses of the preceding year. It 

 would seem that, late in the spring and early in the summer, these con- 

 tinue to preserve their nutritive properties, and where they have not 

 been browsed upon or cropped , furnish forage until the fresh growth 

 in the fall. 



I saw in the Limpia region several specimens of the remarkable " loco" 

 weed (Astragalus mollis-imus). It appeared much more common on the 

 broad valleys than on the hill-sides. Its direful effects on cattle and 

 horses who taste it are well known. I heard of its having caused also 

 the death of many sheep, but no reports of goats being seriously affected. 

 It may be that they entirely avoid it. It is worth mentioning here that 

 donkeys (Mexican burros) feed on the "loco" without any injury to 

 them. 



Up in the Pineries in June I saw but very few grasses along the creek. 

 At the base of one of the foot-hills, near the border of the creek, I 

 found a few plants of Poa andina. At the old Government saw-mill I 

 gathered some specimens of Panicum bulbosum. 



Eeturning to Fort Davis, we rode over to the picturesque region of 

 Musquis, spiith of the fort. Here I saw by the sides of the creek, as 

 it flows through the canon, a few plants, here and there, of Tripsacum 

 dactyloides, Diplachne dubia, Setaria setosa, and others. These were also 



