70 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [Sess. uxxiv 
corresponds with a considerable change in the surrounding 
flora. 
Chile may be divided into three regions whose boundaries 
merge into one another. 
In the arid northern region vegetation is very scarce. 
The central region from Santiago to Temuco is very 
fertile, and is mainly occupied in commerce and agriculture. 
In the northern half of this territory, which has a short 
rainy season followed by a long dry one, irrigation is 
required, the water being supplied by numerous shallow 
streams which flow down from the Andes. The canals 
and waterways, lined, as they are, by tall poplars at regular 
intervals, form a characteristic feature of this part of Chile- 
From Temuco to near the Straits of Magellan there is an 
abundant rainfall, and dense forests prevail. 
Our ship, the s.s. “Oronsa,” left Liverpool in July 1908, 
and touched at La Rochelle, Oporto, Lisbon, the Cape Verde 
Islands, Rio Janeiro, Monte Video, and Port Stanley in the 
Falkland Islands. These islands resemble our own Outer 
Hebrides in appearance, and are largely tenanted by 
Scottish sheep-farmers. The climate is very severe. 
Leaving Port Stanley, we passed through the Straits of 
Magellan, thereby obtaining an idea of what the southern 
end of South America is like in cross section. The country 
bounding the eastern end of the Straits is flat, dry, and 
uninteresting. A little gold is found here in the stream 
beds. Passing through a narrow part of the Straits, we 
were able, with the help of glasses, to discern on the island 
side a herd of wild guanacos browsing on the scrubby little 
bushes which were all that could be seen in the way of 
flora. As we proceeded the scenery became more 
mountainous, and vegetation increased. 
We spent the night and some hours next day at Punta 
Arenas (Sandy Point), the most southerly town in the 
world. I was anxious to walk to the forest and examine 
the trees. Unfortunately a wide belt of trees behind the 
town had been burned, leaving only blackened stumps. 
The edge of the forest did not look far off, but the distance 
was deceptive and the track difficult, and I had to return 
with my object unaccomplished, or risk the chance of being 
left behind. The soil was peaty, and the flora similar in 
