BOTANICAL TRIP HITCHCOCK 343 



while at rest and I would suddenly require a long breath. This 

 became troublesome as I was going to sleep. My lungs accustomed 

 to slow down would not supply sufficient oxygen and I would gasp 

 for breath at the point of losing consciousness thus bringing me wide 

 awake. This condition might continue for half an hour before I 

 would finally go to sleep. 



From Cerro de Pasco a trip was made on horseback to La Quin- 

 hua, 3,000 feet lower down a rocky valley, and another by rail to 

 Goyllarisquisca. From near the latter place we descended on a 

 cable car 5,000 feet to a coal mine. In this vicinity grasses were in 

 good condition and a fine collection was made. 



On returning to Lima 1 took a steamer for Mollendo, a port in 

 southern Peru. In general the whole coast of Peru and northern 

 Chile is a desert, rain coming at infrequent intervals. Sometimes 

 one to several years, or even as much as 15 years, will pass between 

 showers. At Mollendo the conditions are such that rains, though 

 infrequent, come oftener than at other parts of the coast. At the 

 time of my arrival the hills back of the town were green as a result 

 of recent rains. I took advantage of these favorable circumstances 

 to make a collection of the entire flora. The verdure extended for 

 a narrow belt over only a few miles and back of this all was desert 

 again. 



From Mollendo I went by the Southern Railroad to Arequipa 

 a fine city at 7,500 feet altitude. On the way we passed the curious 

 crescent-shaped sand dunes that are moving across a desert plain. 

 These are 10 to 15 feet high and about 100 feet across, all the same 

 shape and about the same size, thousands of them, moving in the 

 direction of the prevailing wind, high in the center and tapering 

 out to the point of each crescent. The plain itself was of brown 

 dirt but the dunes were nearly white, thus conspicuously set off. 



As an example of the coincidences of personal contacts, I may 

 record that I met here Mr. Delgado Vivanco, whose brother was 

 a classmate of my son's at college and who extended to me at Are- 

 quipa many courtesies. Arequipa is beautifully situated. In the 

 vicinity are three high snow-capped mountains, Chachani (20,000 

 feet), Misti (19,150 feet), and Pichu-Pichu (17,800 feet). Misti, 

 close by, is a nearly perfect cone. 



After leaving Arequipa I went to Juliaca, where the road 

 branches, one division going to Cuzco, the other to La Paz. The 

 trains run only by day and only twice a week. The first stage is 

 Mollendo to Arequipa, the second from Arequipa to Juliaca, and the 

 third from Juliaca to Cuzco on to La Paz. I had a letter of introduc- 

 tion to Colonel Stordy, director of the experiment station at Chu- 

 •quibambilla on the road toward Cuzco. I remained at the station as 

 his guest over one train. The ranch contains 18,000 acres and is 



