92 
THE PLANT WORLD. 
Lantern Head. Occasional isolated plants were met with else¬ 
where, but even then they were within the scrub. At Mon jean 
Harbor we saw this cactus formation at its best development—all 
five species being in evidence. The accompanying illustration 
(Fig. 21 ) shows the Melocactus at home on Little Inagua. These 
grew on the solid rock, sending out their long slender roots 
over the hard surface seeking for nourishment, and their root 
Fig. 23. An individual of Opuntia Nashii , a tree-like prickly-pear. 
branches down into crevices and cracks in this food hunt. Occa¬ 
sionally a plant would be found lying on its side, apparently not 
discommoded in any way, growing along vigorously, as though 
that were its normal way of doing things. The Turk’s-head, as 
the Melocactus is commonly called, is a grotesque-looking object. 
In plants of middle age, just about sending forth the portion which 
bears the flowers, this has some resemblance in shape and color 
to the Turkish fez, hence the popular name. This portion soon 
elongates, however, and in old plants often attains a length of a 
foot and a half and fully six inches in diameter. It is cylindric, 
firm in structure, and densely armed with spines of a rich red 
