A Botanical Expedition to Nicaragua. 347 



Neither streams nor springs are now found on the Ometepe 

 portion of the island; the rock and soil are everywhere volcanic. 



The volcano itself is an almost perfect cone rising 5,240 feet 

 above the surface of the lake which is about no feet above 

 sea-level. Evidences in the form of tree trunks and stumps 

 indicate that it was formerly covered with dense forests to 

 the very summit, but the eruption of 1883, (the first in his- 

 toric times) destroyed the vegetation on the volcano, and even 

 to-day the surface of the south-west quarter of the volcano is 

 covered with loose volcanic sand and boulders, with no other 

 trace of recent vegetation, than a few stunted, struggling mos- 

 ses. The remainder of the volcano is again covered with low 

 masses of tangled vines and shrubs, larger trees occurring only 

 near the base, and on the eastern and south-eastern slopes. 



As a clearer idea of the exact character of the surface of 

 the western half of the volcano can perhaps be obtained from 

 a detailed description of an ascent of the volcano made on the 

 24th of January, 1893, a portion of the notes which were taken 

 by the writer at the time is here inserted: 



" We started on horse-back with our guide at about seven 

 o'clock, A.M. x\fter passing a number of plantain plantations 

 we entered a dense tropical forest by a narrow path over- 

 hung with branches and vines, a constant menace to our safety. 

 We tried to reach San Marco on the north-western slope, the 

 point from which the volcano is usually approached, but a fal- 

 len tree prevented this. After collecting for a short time in a 

 deep gully which was washed out in the volcanic sand, at the 

 foot of the volcano, and which was lined whith numerous spe- 

 cies of Pteris^ Polypodhmi^ Aspleniu-m, Blechnuw, Gymno- 

 gramjne, etc., we passed to one of the long, comparatively 

 barren tongues of volcanic matter which extend out into the 

 more fertile portions of the island, and gradually ascended to 

 a point at an elvation of about 1,000 feet, beyond which horses 

 could not be used. Leaving our horses at this point we com- 

 menced the ascent on foot about 10:30 a.m., and reached the 

 summit in four and a-quarter hours. The hne which we fol- 



