NORTH AMERICA. 
1S1 
The Caftiis opuntia Is very tali, ere&, and large, 
and ftrong enough to bear the weight of a man: 
fome are feven or eight feet high : the whole plant 
or tree feems to be formed of great oval compreffed 
leaves or articulations ; thofe near the earth con- 
tinually increafe, magnify and indurate as the tree 
advances in years, and at length lofe the bright 
green colour and glofify furface of their youth, ac- 
quiring a ligneous quality, with a whitifh fcabrous 
cortex. Every part of the plant is nearly deftitute 
of aculea, or thofe fafcicles of barbed b fifties which 
are in fuch plenty on the common dwarf Indian Fig. 
The cochineal infefe were feeding on the leaves. 
The female of this infedt is very large and flefhy, co- 
vered with a fine white filk or cottony web, which 
feels always moift or dewy, and feems defigned by 
nature to protedt them from the violent heat of the 
fun. The males are very Jmall in comparifon to the 
females, and but very few in number: they each 
have two oblong pellucid wings. The large poly- 
petalous flowers are produced on the edges of the 
laft year’s leaves, are of a fine fplend id ' yellow, 
and are fucceeded by very large pear-fhaped- fruit, 
of a dark livid purple when ripe : its pulp is charged 
with a juice of a fine tranfparent crimfon colour, 
and has a cool pleafant take, fomewhat like that of 
a pomegranate. Soon after eating this fruit the urine 
becomes of the fame crimfon colour, which very 
much furprifes and affrights a ftranger, but is attend- 
ed with no other ill confequence ; on the contrary, it 
is efteemed wholefome, though powerfully diuretic. 
On the left hand of thofe open forefts and favan- 
nas, as we turn our eyes fouthward, fouth-weft 
and weft, we behold an endlefs wild defert, the 
upper ftratum of the earth of which is a fine white 
fand, with fmall pebbles, and at fome diftance ap- 
M pears 
