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where the larger species of the strong cactus 

 are collected in groups is considered as almost 

 impenetrable. These places, called tunales, are 

 impervious not only to the native, who goes 

 naked to the waist, they are formidable even to 

 those who go fully clothed. In our solitary 

 rambles, we sometimes endeavoured to penetrate 

 into the tunal that crowns the summit of the 

 castle hill, a part of which is crossed by a path- 

 way, where we might study, amidst thousands, 

 the organization of this singular plant. Some- 

 times the night suddenly overtook us, for there 

 is scarcely any twilight in this climate ; and 

 we then found ourselves in a situation so much 

 the more disagreeable, as the cascabel or rattle- 

 snake*, the coral, and other vipers, armed with 

 poisonous fangs, frequent, at the time of laying, 

 these scorched and arid haunts, to deposit their 

 eggs in the sand. 



The castle of St. Antonio is built at the east- 

 ern extremity of the hill, but not on the most 

 elevated point, being commanded on the east 

 by an unfortified summit. The tunal is con- 

 sidered both here and every where in the Spa- 

 nish colonies as a very important means of mi- 

 litary defence ; and when earthen works are 

 raised, the engineers are eager to propagate the 



* Crotalus cumanensis, &c. Lioeflingii, two new species. 

 See my Recueil d'Observ. Zoologiques, t. ii , p. 8. 



2 i 



