Stewart — Botanical Conditions on the Galapagos Islands. 273 



tation, but there is also no water on the most of them; which 

 makes it necessary for one to carry a supply of water with him. 

 On this account it is practically impossible to make trips into 

 the interior lasting longer than three days. 

 Department of Botany, 



University of Wisconsin, 

 Madison. 



Abingdon Island. 



With the exception of the two small islands, Culpepper and 

 Wenman, Abingdon is the most northern island in the group. It 

 is located about thirteen miles northwest of Blindloe, and is the 

 smallest one of the islands that supports an extensive mesophy- 

 tic flora. This condition is brought about by the fact that it 

 reaches an elevation of 1950 ft., and consequently it receives a 

 greater amount of moisture than the other small islands. This 

 island was visited during the month of September 1906. The 

 most of the work was done on the south side where good anchor- 

 age was found for our vessel in a small bay. 



The shores along the south side of the island are composed of 

 low^lava cliffs and occasional sand-beaches. The shores become 

 steeper, however, towards the southwest side. On the west side 

 there are perpendicular cliffs which rise directly from the sea 

 to a height of over 1,000 ft. The north and east sides of the is- 

 land were not visited, but judging from the appearance of these 

 parts as seen from the vessel while sailing in the vicinity of the 

 island, the shores are low, and the sides of the mountain are cov- 

 ered with lava to a considerable elevation. The lava covering 

 . the south side is mostly basaltic in character with occasional 

 ^- o beds of volcanic cinders intermingled. This lava is of compara- 

 % Ir. lively great age, and it has become stained to a redish-brown col- 

 m ^ or through surface oxidation. There are extensive deposits of 

 "^ -'' volcanic cinders on the southeast side of rather recent origin, the 

 5 ~- most of which have come from a small crater at an elevation of 

 Q= -^ 1,000 ft. There are still slight evidences of volcanic activity 

 ^ t around the base of this crater, as there is a constant escape of 

 steam here, which is sometimes great enough to be seen from the 

 •-■^ shore. There is still another small cinder cone on the recent 

 lava near the shore, from which the lava in its immediate vicin- 

 ity must have come. Remains of several other small craters 

 18— S. A. 



