660 BOTANICAL NOTES. 
humid surface, and to the benighted traveller are of the most 
essential service, as forming a useful material to cover his 
temporary *rancho," the construction of which would be 
otherwise a matter of difficulty. 
Nothing can be more impressive than the silence that 
reigns throughout these vast primaeval forests. I have, on 
several occasions, traversed a space of thirty miles, in four 
successive days, without meeting with a single animated being 
—not even a bird. The traveller's progress is indeed remark- 
ably slow; not so much owing to the miry state of the 
ground, as to the vast number of fallen trees he is compelled 
to climb over. At the same time he must be careful not to 
lose the path, the slightest deviation from which might be 
attended with serious consequences, in a country where it is 
hardly possible to procure a glimpse of the sun or stars. At 
night, he is frequently startled by the crash of falling trees, 
which may, perhaps, have existed for centuries, but are 
finally prostrated by the hand of time. 
The coast of the Pacific can be reached by a path traced 
over the northern flank of Pichincha, impassable for mules, 
excepting the first day's journey; the remainder, of course, 
being performed on foot in the way I have just alluded to. 
The following stations, not indicated in the map, will show 
the elevation of the line of road with the approximate dis- 
tance expressed in miles. 
Feet. ' Miles. 
Pichàn : : 12,986 ‘ : 
La Sierra . ; 8,909 ; ; 
Suruloma . : 8,154 $ i 
Patacocha . . 6.3 1034 
Mindo $ a 3,926 ‘ i 
Bolaniguss — 3,020 : à 
Cachaponga ; S098 o9, 
Palogrande ; 1,208 : i 
Canigue . 604 . é 
Q-x 0t wood: 
The rest of the journey is performed by water. At Canigue 
