THE CINCHONA BOTANICAL STATION 



41 



horizontal branches are interlaced in a way that makes following the 

 " trail " a rather perplexing combination of climbing over, creeping be- 

 neath and squeezing between the dripping, moss-covered trunks and 

 branches. These experiences are varied, however, on other parts of the 

 ascent, by slipping down, while attempting to creep up, the steep, grass- 

 or fern-covered slope of a particularly lubricous clay. New forms, ap- 

 pear with increasing altitude, many of them rarities. The tops of these 

 peaks are occupied by low, gnarled trees of Podocarpus TJrhanii, and 

 by head-high, mistleto-covered bushes of Vaccinium meridionale and 

 Cleilira alexandri, or by wide stretches of the fern Gleiclienia or the 

 grass Danthonia shrevei. The northern slopes of these Blue Mountains, 

 down to the 2,000-foot level, are practically unexplored territory, with no 

 trails, except that skirting the Mabess Valley. 



All the points here mentioned, except Blue Mountain Peak, are 



Tree Feu.v \vhu«k 1'iunk is coveued with Ei'ii'Hytes and Cei.mbeks. 



