CHAPTER VIII. _Cactus and Grease Wood._--Views of Nature--Growth

and decay--Nature’s plan--The law of change--Nature foiling her own plans--Attack and drouth--Preservation of species--Means of preservation--Maintaining the _status quo_--The plant-struggle for life--Fighting heat and drouth--Prevention of evaporation--Absence of large leaves--Exhaust of moisture--Gums and varnishes of bushes--The ocatilla--Tap roots--Underground structure--Feeding the top growth--Storage reservoirs below ground--Reservoirs above ground--Thickened barks--Gathering moisture--Attacks upon desert plants--Browsing animals--Weapons of defence--The spine and thorn--The crucifixion thorn--The sting of flowers--Fierceness of the plant--Odors and juices--Saps astringent and cathartic--Expenditure of energy--The desert covering--Use of desert plants--Their beauty--Beauty in character--Forms of the yucca and maguey--The lluvia d’oro--Grotesque forms--Abnormal colors--Blossoms and flowers--Many varieties--Wild flowers--Salt-bush--The grasses and lichens--The continuous struggle 128