9 8 
THE PLANT WORLD. 
are the tennis courts and the cricket field, and as summer reigns 
the year around there, these are always available. They have their 
social affairs there as elsewhere, and in a community as small as 
this they feel dependent, each on the other, to make these events 
successful. To those who enjoy the hunt the island of Inagua 
offers many inducements. Hundreds of wild cattle roam the 
scrub, probably the offspring of domestic animals which have suc¬ 
ceeded in getting ashore from wrecks in times gone by—at least 
so it is explained by the people there. The hunt for these fur¬ 
nishes most exciting sport, and the element of real danger accom¬ 
panying it lends zest to the enjoyment. I heard many tales while 
there of dangerous encounters with wild bulls and hair-breadth 
escapes from infuriated cows. Wild hogs abound, supposedly of 
an origin similar to that of the cattle, and boar-hunting furnishes 
a sport only second to that of the hunt for wild cattle. Then there 
are the large numbers of wild horses, already referred to, roaming 
over the savannahs, untamed and free—wild and intelligent, and 
not to be caught but by the greatest perseverance and skill. This 
is the source from which is derived their beasts of burden, for 
donkeys and mules too abound in a wild state. There is plenty 
of fishing for those who enjoy that sport, and shark-fishing, or 
rather hunting, has its allurements. Beautiful transparent water 
and sandy beaches furnish frequent opportunity for ideal sea¬ 
bathing. The botanist, and I presume also other scientists 
along their line, there is much to interest. Many unfamiliar 
plants, some of them hitherto unknown to science, are met on every 
side. To the student of ecological problems it would offer a 
most interesting field, for one has really desert conditions on a 
sea island, in a tropical climate, and a desert intimately surrounded 
by water must require special adaptations to meet the rather un¬ 
usual conditions. 
