THE FLOEA OF HOKDITEAS AND SALYADOE. 155 



Honduras similar in composition to those of British Honduras, which, it may be 

 added, are very imperfectly known. A great part of the country is low, but the 

 Congrehoy Mountain is a little more than 8000 feet high. 



NlCAKAGUA. 



Estimated at 30,000 square miles, and extending through about four degrees of 

 latitude, with one principal ridge of mountains stretching across the country from 

 north-west to south-east, nowhere reaching any great altitude, the greatest being the 

 volcano El Viejo, which rises to a height of about 6250 feet. CErsted* describes the 

 vegetation of this peak, which is situated near the sea, in the north-western part of the 

 country, as highly remarkable and more diversified than that of Irazu (Costa Rica), which 

 is 5000 feet higher and only about 3° further south. Indeed, he states that it exhibits a 

 greater number of distinct altitudinal zones of vegetation than Irazu. This may be so, 

 yet they can hardly be considered climatal zones. He erroneously fixed the altitude 

 at 5000 feet, and distinguished five zones of vegetation, limited as follows : — 1, tropical 

 forests, from to 1500 feet ; 2, Acrocomia and Quercus, from 1500 to 2200 feet, the latter 

 genus only sparingly ; 3, grasses, from 2200 to 3000 feet; 4, pines, from 3000 to 4200 

 feet ; 5, ferns and agaves, from 4200 to 5000 feet. It is evident that this division of 

 the vegetation was based on imperfect observation, or rather on a false appreciation of 

 the facts ; but we give it for what it is worth, as there is no gainsaying the unusual 

 character of the vegetation of this peak. CErsted, however, asks, Who would expect to 

 find agaves associated with " alpine " ferns % Yet, as might be imagined, the ferns are 

 not of an alpine character ; therefore the question requires no answer. Moreover, agaves 

 ascend much higher in Mexico, and on the peak of Chiriqui Agave (or Furcrcea) is said to 

 be a conspicuous feature in the uppermost zone of vegetation. , Incidentally, it may here 

 be mentioned that the genus Pinus finds its southern limit in Northern Nicaragua, 

 further particulars of which will be found in the notes on the distribution of the 

 Coniferse, page 265. As may be gathered from the fact that we have been able to record 

 only about 1000 species of vascular plants inhabiting Nicaragua, the flora is still very 

 imperfectly known ; yet it is decidedly doubtful whether it exhibits such richness and 

 variety as are found in Mexico and Costa Eica. Levy f writes of Nicaragua as a vast 

 forest pierced by roads and broken by clearings for the towns ; and the composition of 

 the forest he describes as poor in species, with comparatively little variety in epiphytal 

 orchids and bromeliads, and a great abundance of climbing and twining plants. Belt J 

 states that the vegetation of Nicaragua is divisible into three longitudinal zones, the 

 most easterly being covered by an unbroken forest, the principal products of which are 



* Botanisehe Zeitung. 



t Bulletin de la Societe Botanique de la France, xvi. pp. 275 et 420. 



% ' The Naturalist in Nicaragua,' p. 328. 



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