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289 
moisture is so great that even when the rainy season has passed 
the air is saturated with water. Travelling through this dense 
forest is made difficult by the many fallen trees which are usually 
covered with vines and twining plants. There are no Conifere 
to be found in the region. and only four or five species of palms, 
while orchids are abundant, their flowers are small and incon- 
spicuous. 
Aquatics are not numerous in the waters, and the ferns are 
largely epiphytic. One species is especially noticeable as appar- 
ently Possessing a large prothallium in the shape of a dish which 
is used by the plant for the purpose of collecting water, earth, 
and other substances for the nutrition of the plant. 
Only one species of Adiantum was observed, and the Hymeno- 
Phyllaceous forms are few. A species resembling a Gleichenta, 
forms delicate pea green banks, very beautiful in color, while a 
climbing Selaginella, found growing upon bushes and small trees, 
and another upon rocks, are more beautiful than the cultivated — 
species of that genus. One species of Lycopodium grows in the 
region to a height of 8 to 10 feet, and resembles superficially a 
tamarack tree. 
The true mosses are scarce, with the exception of Barbula 
forms, which are frequent, and one hypnoid form found hanging 
from the trees, but never in fruit. Hepatic are present in this 
moist region in enormous numbers, and almost every tree-trunk 
18 Covered with a species probably of the genus Plagiochila. 
The fresh- water algee are not numerous, a few forms like Batrach- 
ospermum only being found among the lower cryptogams. 
The Hy Menomycetes are very numerous and bright-colored ; 
on€ species of Amanita is very much larger than any ever seen be- 
fore by the speaker, attaining the size of 10 inches in height by 
10 inches in diameter. The Polyporei seem to be more abundant 
than the Agaracini, and the author is of the opinion that the 
Present systematic arrangement of the Hymenomycetes would be 
of little use in this region because of the strange forms. The 
Gastromycetes are present only in few numbers, and parasitic 
fungi are extremely scarce, only one true disease, that upon the 
coffee plant, being noticed, and this only occasioning insignificant 
Injury, ; 
