236 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 



their ends. The brown hill-sides began to be 

 diversified by an arborescent Cactus, with polygonal 

 stems and white dahlia-like flowers, which, Briareus- 

 like, threw wide into the air its hundred rude arms. 

 Lower down, at about 6000 feet, I saw specimens 

 full 30 feet high and 18 inches in diameter. Along 

 with it grew frequently a Caesalpinia and a Tecoma, 

 both of which are abundantly planted near Ambato 

 and Guano, the former for the sake of its bark, 

 used in tanning, and the latter because it bears a 

 profusion of ornamental yellow flowers, and is 

 supposed to possess wonderful medicinal virtues. 



About two leagues below Alausi the road 

 descends to the margin of the river, where it meets 

 the Chanchan, a larger stream coming from the 

 Eastern Cordillera, near the volcano Sangay ; the 

 two united take the name of the latter, and 

 preserve it until issuing into the plain, where, 

 joined by the Chimbo from Chimborazo, they form 

 the river Yaguachi, which empties itself into the 

 gulf just above the city of Guayaquil. Crossing 

 the Chanchan by a rude bridge near its junction 

 with the Pumachaca, we entered on a beach clad 

 with a grove of Acacias low spreading trees with 

 very odoriferous yellow flowers and binate spines 

 sometimes 3 inches long. Near this place, which 

 was still some 8000 feet above the sea, we came 

 on the first sugar-cane farm. The road again 

 leaves the river, and we had finally to climb a long 

 cuesta to reach the village of Chiinchi, which is 

 full 1 500 feet above the river. 



Chunchi is the last village on the slope of the 

 Cordillera, and I had calculated on making it my 

 head-quarters, though the forest is still a day's 



