A TRIP TO THE INAGUAS. 
97 
hardly realize that a few steps in any direction would again take 
him to the scrub, dry, arid and monotonous. 
The “ white sand ” ridges are laid down on the rocky floor of 
the island, and appear to be of sand-dune formation. They usually 
occur near the shore, which favors this idea of their origin. The 
veg'etation is larger here than on the scrub, due to the greater 
amount of soil perhaps, but it is certainly a poor quality of soil. 
One of these “ white sand ” areas at N. W. Point, Little Inagua, 
however, supported a dense growth of trees some twenty feet tall. 
The soil here was a mixture of sand and humus, much resembling 
that of the pine woods of our southern states. It was here that 
we found Caneila Winteriana growing, its only known occurrence 
on the islands. It is known to the natives as “ cinnamon.” In 
most parts, however, the “ white sand ” ridges are characterized 
by the great abundance of a palm, related to Coccothrinax jucunda. 
It grows by the thousand in these areas, its tall slender trunks, 
usually but little over two inches in diameter and sometimes 
fifteen feet tall, bearing aloft a crown of rich green leaves, silvery 
on the lower surface. It is considered of little economic impor¬ 
tance by the negro population. 
The salina formation is closely related to the savannah, but its 
soil appears to differ somewhat. It is apparently formed of the 
wash from the sandy and rocky ridges, the resulting compound 
being a clay-like mass very sticky when wet. It is apparently quite 
salt, as it supports a salt-loving flora. The prevailing shrub is 
the white mangrove, Avicennia nitida, its aerial roots sticking up 
like little spires in great profusion all around the plant. .Some 
black mangroves, Rhizophora Mangle } are found here. Great 
quantities of one or two species of Salicornia abound also. 
The last formation is that of the strand. This does not differ 
from that in all parts of tropical America. The sea lavender, 
Tournefortia gnaphalioides , the curious leaf succulent, Batis mari- 
tima, the sea-beach morning-glory, Ipomoea Pes-Caprae, Sesu- 
vium Portulacastrum, are the more characteristic elements. 
It may be asked, what do the inhabitants do to pass away the 
time? It is true that amusements in a place of this size must be 
limited. Places of public resort there are of course none. There 
