JOHNSTON: FLORA OF MARGARITA ISLAND. 175 
is the most delightful temperature condition imaginable, often cloudy 
and always breezy. El ^^^lle is comfortable, but the villages on the 
plains are in the daytime very warm. At night it is comfortable 
everwhere. 
Catalogue of the Plants of Margarita. 
Dr. Ernst in his visit to Margarita, in 1873, spent the month of ^h\\ 
collecting at Juan Griego, Santa Ana, and Asuncion. His collection 
amounting to 242 different si)ecies are the first plants reported from 
that island but unfortunately they do not seem to be available for 
reference today. Their location is unknown to me; certainly thev are 
not accessible in any place in Venezuela. 
The only other collections from IVIargarita and the only ones readily 
available for reference today are those made by our parties in 1901 
and 1903. In 1901, we collected over 300 different species spending 
most of the time from July 4 to August 22 in El Valle and the j)lains 
toward Porlamar, with only occasional trips to Juan Griego, Asuncion, 
and Punta Moreno. In 1903, from Jime 28 to September 4, we found 
the region about El Valle in such a drought that for our collections we 
had to resort to the mountains for the most of our work. One trip was 
made to Juan Griego, Tacarigua, and Asuncion, one to Pcilar and 
several to Punta iNIoreno and Punta Mosquito. We also made one 
excursion to the island of Coche and to Punta Piedras on Margarita. 
In each of these trips, that of 1901 and that of 1903, between 3000 and 
4000 specimens were secured, all of which have been distributed 
among the leading herbariums in this country and abroad, the most 
nearly complete set being at the Gray herbarium of Harvard univer- 
sity. It is unfortunate that the first collection was distributed in an 
incomplete and poorly identified condition but it is hoped that the 
present listing of the species together with the citation of the collection 
numbers and dates may tend to correct any previous errors. In the 
main the identifications have been carried on at the Gray herbarium. 
Mr. O. O. Miller of the party of 1901 assisted in the identifications of 
the collection of that year. The rest of the work, in which I have 
been generously assisted by the staff of the Gray herbarium, has 
devolved upon me. Mr. Oakes Ames identified part of the Orchi- 
daceae; Dr. Carl Mez, part of the Bromeliaceae; Dr. Casimir de 
Candolle, the Piperaceae; Professor Radlkofer, one of the Sapin- 
