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increased by the reverberation of the sun's rays from the steep 

 rocky mountains, which, at the same time, prevent a free 

 circulation of air ; and, from the clearness of the sky, they are 

 exposed after sunset to a sudden chill, while surrounded by 

 a moist stagnant atmosphere in this confined situation. I 

 was obliged to put up here on my return, and, although I 

 had just recovered from a severe attack of the fever, I found 

 no bad effects from sleeping in an open shed. 



The hills near Yazo are very steep, and the road occasion- 

 ally very narrow, especially in one part, where it forms a 

 mere ledge on the side of a nearly perpendicular hill. A 

 pass of this sort is called a ladera. The bank above, con- 

 sisting of large rolled stones imbedded in gravel, bore 

 evidence of the heavy rains in winter, being ploughed 

 into numerous channels, and at that season it must be 

 dangerous to pass. From some of the loose earth giving 

 way during the earthquake in 1828, a man and several 

 mules were precipitated into the valley and killed. 



On approaching Yazo, some plants appeared by the road- 

 side, and they became more abundant as we advanced, only 

 a few, however, remained in flower. Two days ago we left 

 the new grass springing up on the coast; here the plants 

 were shedding their ripened seed. In this neighbourhood, I 

 found the white-flowered Loasa, Hoffnianseggia falcaria, and 

 Convolvulus secundus, and in the valley where the load 

 descends for a short distance, Malesherbia thyrsiflora and 

 Lobelia hiserrata, Cav. In the next two leagues, to Huari- 

 mayo, the hills are partially covered with dry grass and other 

 small plants, with occasionally a few shrubs. Several species 

 oi Browallia were in flower, the B. viscosa very common. In 

 the valley, I found the red-flowered Salvia and Mentzelia 

 aspera^ and the rocks were covered with Tillandsia. 



At Huarimayo, there was only a single hut, where travellers 

 usually halt their mules, previous to passing a long and ele- 

 vated ladera, called the Pacron. This is on the north side 

 of the stream which we had crossed, lower down, on a very 

 frail bridae, made of branches of trees laid from bank to bank. 

 The roof of the liut is a botanical curiosity; the whole surface 



