hout water for twenty-four hours. Still, in those hot barrancas,
I saw no difference in the vegetation. The trees and plants did not
seem affected by rain or no rain. The only exception I noticed was that
the fiat, leaf-like joints of the nopal cactus shrivelled up a little
on the surface, but the fleshy inside seemed as juicy as ever. Even
during the dryest season the trees and shrubs here blossom and bear
fruit, and mornings and evenings the air is filled with the perfume of
acaciae, cacti, and other plants. One is at a loss to understand how the
cattle can subsist on these shrubs, but they have adapted themselves to
circumstances, and are able to chew up the thick stems of the cacti, in
fact the whole plant, with the result, however, that their stomachs are
so filled with spines that the Mexicans cannot utilise the tripe. The
frugal Indian is the only one who does not reject it, but manages to
burn off the biggest spikes while toasting the tripe on cinders.

Near Morelos are ancient house ruins, some round and some square, and
also traces of circular fortifications built of loose stones. Several
of the latter were from sixteen to twenty yards in diameter and
located on the top of mountain ridges. The remains are attributed to
the Cocoyomes.

The commonly accepted idea that in southern latitudes anything
may be easily cultivated is often proved by actual observation to
be fallacious. Sometimes there may be too much rain, sometimes not
enough. The worst enemies of plant-life in the warm countries are the
many pests. One evening my host, Don Manuel Perez, showed me some of
the foes he had to combat in order to maintain his garden. Certain
kinds of ants bite off the flowers and leaves and carry away the
pieces. The insects come out at night and may strip a tree of its
leaves and fruits before morning. It was an astonishing sight to see
the dark stem of an elder looking .as if it were green, on account
of the multitude of ants, each of which carried a bit of green leaf
half an inch long. Every evening a man went around to burn them off
with a torch of resinous pine-wood.

Some Tubar Indians were induced to come to Morelos to be measured
and photographed. The few representatives of the tribe I saw had
good figures and small hands and feet. They seemed to be shy, but
rather kind-hearted, jolly people, resembling the Tarahumares in
appearance. They are found from the village of San Andres, three
miles from Morelos, as far