176 
• BLUEFIELDS. 
blowing Cereus ( Cere?/5 grandijlora), is another notable 
example of the same prevalent odour. The long 
trailing stems of this Cactus are very commonly seen 
in the lowlands, sprawling to a great length over the 
stone fences, hanging in irregular festoons from the 
forks and limbs of the trees, the great Cotton-tree in 
particular, and intertwining its tough and prickly 
vines among the shrubs, helping to give the woods 
that formidable, repellent, impenetrable character 
which a tropic bush ” is known to present. The 
magnificent flowers are, however, rarely seen ; the 
plant seems to be a shy bloomer ; and when the 
blossoms do meet the eye it is in nine cases out of 
ten either as unexpanded buds, or in that miserable 
drenched condition, which the flowers of a Cactus 
always assume when fading, looking exactly as if 
they had been dragged through boiling water. In 
order to see it in perfection, one must make it open 
in the house, or visit it at midnight, which is in- 
convenient. I have several times marked a maturing 
bud, and when it appeared nearly ready to burst, 
cut a few inches of the stem on each side, and brought 
it within doors. Soon after dark it begins to open, 
and towards midnight expands in its noble beauty, 
a disk six inches in diameter, very double, the ex- 
terior rows of petals of a yellowish-brown hue, 
gradually paling in tint to the centre, where the 
petals are of the purest wdiite. Meanwhile the de- 
licious dove-like perfume is diffused in such abun- 
dance, that a delicate person can scarcely sit in the 
room, and the very house is filled with it from one 
end to the other. In the morning beauty and 
