1895 
Tehuacan 
(Puebla) 
longitudinally and the trunks are 2 to 4 feet in diameter and 3 to 8 
/ 
feet long and many bent and contorted into a variety of grotesque 
angles. This plant is sent to Orizaba and Cordoba where the fleshy 
pith is boiled in sugar and mad® into a sweetmeat that is sold all over 
the country. With this oaotus appeared many large Opuntlas and Cereus 
which, with the yuccas, agaves, palraettoes, acacias, and other plants 
made a great luxuriance of thorny vegetation. This character of low 
rolling limestone mountains covered with this vegetation continued until 
just before we reached Tehuacan when the road entered a broad valley 
which descends at a regular slope thence to the south. This valley is 
a nearly level plain in a cross-section and lies between the limestone 
hills about 4 or 5 miles apart here. The soil is a scanty covering over 
a limestone basis. 
In the hills to the east are some lava deposits showing that the 
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volcanic action reached among these hills. 
Wheat is the min orop on the plain here which has an altitude of 
about 5400 feet. 
The plaza of this plaoe (Tehuacan) is shaded by fine ash trees, as 
are some of the streets. In these a host of grackles were nesting and 
from the first break of day until dark their odd notes and awkward forms 
were the most conspicuous sight in the streets and gave them a liveliness 
that they otherwise lacked, I amused myself watching their antics about 
the public square. They quarrelled among the treetops or stalked about 
on the ground with watchful boldness. 
Was disappointed to find this rather a poor locality. 
Huamantla 
(Tlaxcala) 
On the 9th of May I proceeded to Huamantla, Tlaxcala, dose to the 
north slope of the old volcano of Malinche, Here X remained until the 17th, 
During this time we worked the vicinity of the town and found the same 
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