50 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



hearsay, and the sudden change of the cHmate, which here becomes an extremely 

 wet one, is probably the reason why the tree does not exist on the west coast in a 

 much higher latitude, as do the majority of the trees and plants which are associated 

 with it. 



Another point in which I must differ from Poeppig is the bareness of the Arau- 

 caria forests of other vegetation. Though, of course, where the trees are closely 

 crowded not many plants grow in their shade, yet the number of beautiful terrestrial 

 orchids and other plants which I found in the more open parts of the Araucaria 

 forest was very striking, and Miss North's observations in the Nahuelbuta range 

 quite confirm my opinion that the moderate shade of the Araucaria is not prejudicial 

 to herbaceous plants. 



The soil on which it grows is mostly of volcanic origin, sometimes covered with 

 deep vegetable mould, but more usually dry and rocky ; and the climate, though 

 warm and dry in the months of December, January, and February, is cold and wet 

 in winter. 



The only exact particulars I can give of the climatic variations were taken 

 during the winter of 1901 at Rahue in the upper Biobio Valley, near Longuimay, at 

 an elevation of 700 metres, which is lower and thus probably warmer than that of the 

 Araucaria region. These observations I have condensed as follows : 



Maximum. Minimum Centigrade. 



Between April 21 and 30 +26 (on 2Sth) - 3 (on 30th) 



+ 19 (1st, 25th) - 7 (on 13th) snow on 7 days, 



+ 22 (on 27th) - 6 (on 24th) snow on 8 days. 



+ 12 (on 27th) 5 (on loth) snow on 6 days. 



/ .1 \ ,: I .i.\ ( snow on s days. 



+ 12 (on iQth) 6 (on \nu\)\ ^ , ' 



^ ^ ' \ ( ram on 7 days. 



I ^, , , , j\ f snow on i day. 



+ 24 (on 27th) ? 10 (on 2nd)'! . , ' 



^ \ I I V I y jain on 12 days. 



/ .i.\ 5 /: / o.i.\ f snow on 2 days. 



+ 30 (on 1 7tn) ? 6 (on 8th) \ . , ' 



^ ^ ' ^ V ' \^ rain on 5 days. 



snow on 2 days 

 rain on 7 days. 



/ .. i :> f snow on 2 days. 



+ 2K (on 21st) ? ? -J . ' 



^ \ ' \^ rair 



Reduced to Fahrenheit this register shows a very similar climate to that of some 

 parts of England, very variable all the year round, but probably hotter and more 

 sunny in winter. 



As regards the summer climate I may say that in the months of January and 

 February, which are the height of summer, it was never cold by day, and the sun and 

 wind often unpleasantly warm, but at night the thermometer often fell to near 

 freezing-point, and on one occasion, on ist February, my sponge was frozen in camp 

 just south of Lake Alumind at about 5000 feet. We know that the Araucaria has 

 borne in Great Britain temperatures below zero Fahr. without injury on dry and 

 suitable soil, but it evidently will not endure the continuous wet of the southern coast 

 region of Chile. 



In the Forstliche Naturwissenschaftliclie Zeitschrift, 1897, 'v. 416-426, Dr. 

 Neger, who was naturalist on the Chilean Boundary Survey in 1896-97, gives an 



