x,x IN THE ECUADOREAN ANDES 211 



the fact that, while so many South American Hepaticas are iden- 

 tical with Indian species, scarcely any mosses are. I feel sure I 

 have many European species among my Andine collections. I 

 was surprised to see on Chimborazo dense tufts of Hypnum 

 ScJireberi growing among the heather just as they do in England. 



To Mr. George Beuthani 



QUITO, Aug. 17, 1858. 



I have lately had the pleasure of receiving your 

 letter of June i, containing the names of my Vene- 

 zuelan plants. My notes on these are in Ambato ; 

 still, I recognise the greater part of them. . . . 

 Nearly every plant I gathered at the highest point 

 of the Guainia which I explored proves to be new ; 

 and this increases my regret that I could not, on 

 account of illness, follow out my original project 

 of ascending that river as far as the cataracts. . . . 

 I have a new genus allied to Henriquezia in the 

 forest of Canelos, but when I shall be able to go 

 and gather it I cannot tell. It is an immense tree, 

 with leaves three together, and with large yellow 

 flowers 6 inches long five equal stamens but a 

 much longer corolla-tube than Henriquezia. 



I am satisfied to find that the small collection 

 from Maypures has arrived in an identifiable state. 

 When I opened it out at San Fernando, after my 

 long illness, both plants and paper were one mass 

 of mould. By little and little, as my trembling 

 hands and dim eyes allowed me, I brushed awa\ 

 the mould and transferred the plants toother paper. 

 When I reached San Carlos the process had to be 

 renewed, so that I had reasonable doubts of their 

 preserving any of their original semblance when 

 they reached England. 



