1*6 Mr. Gardner's Journey to the Organ Mountains, 



collection of the previous evening. Our journey of the first 

 day to tiie place where we now halted was of very gradual 

 ascent. To-day we commenced the ascent proper of the peaks. 

 Leaving behind all that was not actually necessary to be taken 

 with us, we commenced our journey by passing the little water- 

 fall and walking up the bed of the stream along the gently slo- 

 ping fall of a granite rock. The ascent of several parts of 

 this was rather difficult, having to crawl up on our hands 

 and knees. After half an hour's hard work we reached a com- 

 paratively flat wooded spot. On the steep part I collected in 

 moist places an Eriocaulon, a Gentiana, and a few other curious 

 little plants, and saw also a small Drosera, but could meet 

 with none of it in flower. In passing through the wood above 

 mentioned I saw great plenty of my new Cactus growing on 

 the stems of the larger trees. Emerging from the wood we 

 again encountered another steep place almost entirely covered 

 with a large species of Bromeliacece, above which rose a few r 

 plants of a fine large scarlet-flowered shrubby species of Salvia 

 and a pale blossomed Virgularia, while, twining among thin 

 stems was a small-leaved and small white-flowered species of 

 Apocynece, of all of which I collected specimens. On a nearly 

 bare portion of the rock I also found an herbaceous plant be- 

 longing to the natural order Gentianece. It grows from a foot 

 to a foot and a half high, with thick succulent glaucous leaves, 

 the upper ones connate, from out of which proceed about half 

 a dozen pedicles each bearing a single flower. The inflores- 

 cence is large, the calyx much inflated and tinged with pur- 

 ple, particularly on one side. The pale yellowish-white corolla 

 is nearly hidden by the calyx. The stamens are six. As I 

 believe this to be the type of a new genus I have called it 

 Gastrocalyx connatus. The seed-vessels were all too young 

 to enable me to procure ripe seeds of it, a circumstance which 

 I much regretted. Passing this place we again entered a 

 wooded district of the mountain. Here we found many anta 

 (tapir) paths, as we had also done the day previous, in the 

 woods below along which we passed, thus rendering our pro- 

 gress much quicker than it otherwise would have been, as the 

 branches above only required to be cut away to make a good 

 road. Judging from the abundance of the tracks which we 



