THE FORESTS OF ALAUSI 245 



general collection ; besides, I had to visit other 

 forests in quest of other sorts of Cascarilla, and I 

 saw the season was already passing for the flowers 

 and seeds of most trees. We therefore on the 

 following clay retraced our steps up the valley, 

 and after another day spent at Lucmas in drying 

 my paper and adding what I could to my collection, 

 I returned to Guataxi. 



I was unable to move far from the farm for 

 above a fortnight afterwards, on account of the 

 passage of the Government troops from Quito to 

 Cuenca. . . . 



During this interval I was obliged to content 

 myself with the flora of Guataxi. The cane-farm 

 is about 7000 feet above the sea ; the maximum 

 temperature each day was generally about 73, 

 though it once reached 77", and the minimum 

 temperature varied from 55 to 60 . A plateau, 

 about a thousand feet higher, belongs to the farm, 

 and produces good crops of grain and potatoes. 

 The hills adjacent to the farm, except where under 

 cultivation and artificially irrigated, are covered 

 with grass, amongst which the withered remains 

 of a good many annuals were visible. Almost 

 the only annual still flourishing was, singularly 

 enough, a species of Monnina, with violet flowers ; 

 and, as most of the species of this genus are trees, 

 I took it for a Polygala until I saw the fruit. Tin- 

 " Yerba Taylor" (Herpestes c/ianKcdryoidcs, H. B. K.), 

 which has great fame as a remedy for snake-bites, 

 was frequent, but mostly scorched up. Amongst 

 the perennial herbs (most of which were new to 

 me) may be mentioned an Epilobium, a Stachys, a 

 Phaseolus, a Desmodium, two Crotalariai, a shaggy 



