2o8 NOTES OF A NATURALIST. 



which forms the natural harbour of Lota, and covers 

 a great portion of the precious deposit to which the 

 place owes its new-born importance. I naturally- 

 preferred the latter, feeling that my limited experience 

 as a geological observer would not allow me to profit 

 much by a subterranean excursion. I made inquiry, 

 however, as to the vegetable remains found in the 

 lignite, and I was told that they are abundant, although 

 the few specimens which I saw showed but slight 

 traces of vegetable structure. I was led to believe 

 that a collection of specimens had been sent to 

 Europe to my late lamented friend, Dr. Oswald Heer, 

 but I am not avv^are that he has left any reference to 

 such a collection, or even that it ever reached his 

 hands. 



The parque of Lota, to which I directed my steps, 

 has rather the character of an extensive pleasure- 

 ground than of what we call a park ; but the surface 

 is so uneven, and the outline so irregular, that I could 

 not estimate its extent. The numerous fantastic 

 structures in questionable taste that met the eye in 

 every direction create at the first moment an unfavour- 

 able impression, but the charms of the spot are so 

 real that this is soon forgotten. The variety and 

 luxuriance of the vegetation, and the diversified views 

 of the sea and the rocky shores, were set off by 

 occasional bursts of bright sunshine, in which the 

 drops that still hung on every leaflet glittered like 

 jewels of every hue. The trees here were of very 

 moderate dimensions, the largest (here called roble) 

 being of the laurel family, which, for want of flower or 

 fruit, I failed to identify. The Spaniards in South 



