IN THE CINCHONA FORESTS 271 



to be seen in the bottom of the valleys a fine-grained ferruginous 

 sandstone of a deep brown colour, in thick strata, and usually in 

 large detached masses, lying either horizontally or variously tilted 

 up. I suppose, therefore, that, so far from having been deposited 

 over the trachyte, it is merely the remains of a large bed of rock 

 which once extended conformably over the whole region, and has 

 been shivered and dislocated by the upheaval of the trachyte 

 itself. It seems the same sort of rock as exists about the base of 

 Tunguragua, and forms the lofty cliffs on the southern side of that 

 volcano, where the cataract of Guandisagua comes down at three 

 bounds from the edge of the snow to the warm valley of Capil, in 

 which grow oranges and the sugar-cane. I have never been able 

 to find any trace of fossils in this rock. . . . Nowhere in the 

 Quitonian Andes have I seen the stratified rocks limestones, 

 friable sandstones, and fossiliferous shales all, I believe, belong- 

 ing to the lias formation, which constitute the eastern declivity of 

 the Andes of Peru, or, at least, of the Province of Maynas. No 

 Bark tree was seen growing on rock of any kind. The soil at 

 Lirnon is the same deep loamy alluvial deposit, with very few 

 stones intermixed, as we had seen from Llullundengo downwards, 

 nor does a bit of rock crop out in the whole of the descent. . . . 

 The n.orthern and eastern sides of the trees had borne most 

 (lowers, and, except on one tree of more open growth than the 

 rest, scarcely a capsule ripened on their southern and western 

 sides. These phenomena are explained by the fact that, in the 

 summer season, the trees receive most sun from the east and 

 north, for the mornings are generally clear and sunny, whilst the 

 afternoons are almost invariably foggy, and the sun's declination 

 is northerly. Another notable circumstance is that the trees 

 standing in open ground -pasture, cane - field, etc.- are far 

 healthier and more luxuriant than those growing in the forest, 

 where they are hemmed in and partially shaded by other trees, 

 and that, while many of the former had flowered freely, the latter 

 were, without exception, sterile. This plainly shows that, although 

 the Red Bark may need shade whilst young and tender, it iv,ill\ 

 requires (like most trees) plenty of air, light, and room wherein to 

 develop its proportions. 



The cascarilleros have found out that the bark is worth money, 

 but neither they nor the greater part of the inhabitants of Ecuador 

 have any correct idea of the use that is made of it in foreign 

 countries; the prevalent opinion being that a permanent coffee- or 

 chocolate-coloured dye (still a desideratum in Ecuador) is extracted 

 from it. I explained to the people of Limon how it yielded the 

 precious quinine which was of such vast use in medicine: but I 

 afterwards heard them saying one to another, "It is all very line 

 tor him to stuff us with such a tale ; of course //< won't tell us how 



