CENTRAL AMERICAN FORESTS. l8l 



less freaks, and the foregoing", as we humbly submit, 

 is the simple explanation which, together with the 

 direction of the prevailing winds, accounts, if not 

 altogether, at any rate mainly, for this apparently 

 strange anomaly. 



The forest region of South America is, in effect, 

 stopped by these mountains, to the westward, as 

 effectively as it is by the ocean upon its eastern coast; 

 but it extends for an immense distance both northwards 

 and southwards, eastward of the Andes. Its northern 

 boundaries, in fact, correspond with the coast line, but 

 the forest is again found running for an altogether 

 exceptional distance into Central America, where on 

 account of the prevailing winds, heavily charged with 

 moisture, magnificent forests, thoroughly equatorial 

 in their character, occupy pretty well the whole of 

 the " Tierras Calientes " or hot districts on both coasts, 

 considerably beyond the limits of our equatorial zone. 



It would be almost impossible within reasonable 

 limits, to give an adequate idea of the variety and 

 profusion of plant life which is to be seen growing 

 in extraordinary luxuriance throughout the immense 

 expanse of these great forests ; whose inmost recesses 

 have, in fact, as yet been only very partially ex- 

 plored: enormous areas of virgin forests, still existing 

 almost everywhere throughout the equatorial zone, which 

 have never been disturbed by the foot of civilized 

 man. More especially is this so in Africa. Unfortu- 

 nately, during the recent great march of Mr. Stanley, 

 the difficulties of the journey, the scarcity of food, and 

 hostility of the native tribes, seem to have rendered 

 any attempt at botanical research impossible; so that 



