110 PHYSICAL GEOGEAPHY AND BOTANY OF CHILI. 



but in the shade I found many interesting things. Water there 

 was so scarce that the men had to dam the stream to procure 

 water for ourselves and horses. 



More to the south, fine forests gradually appear, and in the 

 provinces of Concepcion, Ai'anco, and Yaldivia, a great part of the 

 land is covered with dense forests of Myrtiis, Fagus, Pinut, 

 Eucnjphia, Drymis, Mscallonia, Fdivardsia, An'stotela, Flotovia, 

 and many others. The Flotovia, a genus of Compositse, is the 

 largest Chilian tree, and frequently grows to an immense size. 



Still, even in Yaldivia, the ''central plains" can boast but few 

 trees, these being replaced by bushes, amongst which several 

 species of Berheris are conspicuous, and low plants. As I found 

 in Brazil, travelling from the sea inland, heavier forest, thinner 

 deciduous forest and pampas, so I find here forest, thick bush, and 

 pampas, but nearly all the Chilian trees and shrubs are evergreen: 

 Ko ephiphytal Orchids or gigantic Ariods occur here, and the 

 Bromelias are few in number, but a species of Cissus winds from 

 tree to tree, and fine species of Chusquea replace the tropical 

 bamboos. 



I had hoped to have given' some definite ideas of the principal 

 ''centres of vegetation" in Chili, but I find I am not yet in 

 circumstances to do so. There are so many graduations of climate, 

 altitude, &c. to be considered^ that I now intend to obtain exact 

 information on the occurrence of each indigenous species before 

 I publish much on that point ; but I have no hesitation in pointing 

 to Valdivia as the most abundant centre, and Magellan as another. 

 Going from Yaldivia to the island of Chiloe, we find the climate 

 slightly colder and a little more rain falls. The island is one 

 great forest, except near the few towns and villages where the 

 scanty population have cleared some ground to plant potatoes. 

 Except a very few stragglers from Magellan, all the native plants 

 are also found in Yaldivia, but on the other hand the number of 

 species found in Chiloe is much smaller than in Yaldivia. 



Proceeding still farther southward to Chonos, the Yaldivian 

 species become fewer and fewer, and nearly all the new forms met 

 with are stragglers from Magellan. 



