92 NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP. 



ridge on the eastern side, he heard it blowing all 

 night. On the top of the narrow ridge of crum- 

 bling sandstone covered with a dwarf herbaceous 

 and shrubby vegetation, it is hardly possible to 

 walk on account of its violence. Spruce here 

 remarks : " The descent on the east side of this 

 col, towards Chasuta, is very abrupt ; the trees 

 are mostly low; they, like the rocks and the 

 ground, are densely clad with Hepaticae (especially 

 Mastigobryum, Lepidozia, and Plagiochila), among 

 which grew several ferns, especially some inter- 

 esting arborescent species of small size. In places 

 where the road has been cut or worn down, 

 so as to form deep hollows, the walls (red sandy 

 clay) are clad with mosses and ferns, especially a 

 pretty little Lindsaea and three species of Tricho- 

 manes." 



Later, in the Journal of his voyage from 

 Tarapoto to Ecuador, he speaks of this descent 

 from the ridge of Guayrapurima to a clear stream 

 called Carana, as being " the richest bit of fern 

 ground I had seen in the world " ; while, after 

 another hour's journey and a steep descent, he 

 reached the Yacu-catina, which he describes as 

 "a most picturesque rivulet with a magnificent 

 fern and forest vegetation." 



His next expedition was to Chapaja, on the 

 banks of the Huallaga, in October 1855 ; but of 

 this there are no notes. 



Early in November he took a two days' expedi- 

 tion " to the head of the Cumbasa river and Mount 

 Canela-uesha, on the way to the stream Cainarache, 

 down which canoes pass to Yurimaguas." 



In November and December 1855, he took his 



