11 



Although it was only the beginning of autumn and no 

 snow on the pass, which is 3900 Meters high, the wind 

 was bitterly cold and this cold and the rarified air made 

 me think a long stay in this place undesirable. 



So I turned my back to the Argentine Republic and 

 before me laid the wild glories of the Chilian Cordilleras 

 in all the colours of the rainbow. 



As I descended I came along several carcasses of dead 

 mules and Jiorses that had died on the way and got 

 mummified in the dry pure atmosphere. 



A little lower down a hut was inhabited and in front 

 of it stood erected one of these horse mummies upsaddled 

 and bridled. 



This was the equivalent of a painted sign in old 

 Europe and meant that travellers could feed their bridle- 

 horses there. 



Not very far from the top of the pass on a flattish 

 sandy bit amongst the stones I flushed three Seedsnipes, 

 Thinicorus rumicivorus Erckh., and on the very top I saw 

 a small Bird of Prey which I could not identify. 



I also came across a pair of small brown Birds with 

 black and rufus stripes on the wings, which were resting 

 on some stones. 



After a steep descend we reached Caracoles at about 

 2 o'clock in the afternoon, being the little station where 

 the train left the tunnel on the Chilian side. 



In due time the train arrived carrying our luggage, to our 

 great satisfaction. 



The Chilian slope of the Andes is much steeper than the 

 Argentine side and in zigzag lines we slowly wound our 

 way downwards amongst the wild splendor of the mountains. 

 We passed the Lag una del Portillo, the Laguna del Incas^ 

 cristal lakes in purple green or blue surroundings, all 

 without in this season a semblance of vegetation apparently, 

 and proceeding on our way we gradually came into a zone 

 were things began to grow and the p'icMy things were 

 again with us. 



At first small and stunted the Cacti became more and 



Notes from the Leyden IMuseum, Vol. XXXV. 



