COLLECTING ORCHIDS. 43 



On this same trip I also found a most gorgeous Masdevallia, 

 the flowers very much hke M. Veitchii, but larger and finer in 

 every way; its leaves were long sword-like and glaucous in color, 

 some measuring twenty-four inches in length. I found about twenty 

 plants of all sizes in one tree, but not another plant anywhere. As 

 misfortune would have it these plants never reached home alive. 

 Some time after this I rediscovered it a considerable distance further 

 southwest towards the Pacific and gathered quite a number of plants, 

 packed them and forwarded them to Buenaventura. There they 

 were retained for nearly two months on account of quarantine 

 regulations and were consequently lost. 



While in the Cauca, by crossing the valley westward, vre find on 

 the western Cordillera along the Rio Dagua the chaste MiUonia 

 Roezlii, in fact this is its home. True it is scattered here and there 

 along the course of the Rio Cauca through the Antioquian Moun- 

 tains, but not in quantity. Here along the Rio Dagua it grows 

 par excellence. The climate is extremely hot and very moist, in 

 fact it rains pretty nearly every day in the year and water oozes out 

 of the rocks everywhere. On the ledges and rocks large clumps 

 of Cypripedium Roezlii may be seen in luxuriance. Leaving the 

 beautifvil Cauca valley and its mountains we will cross the Central 

 Cordillera and steer the course towards the State of Tolima. We 

 will do this by a southern route, instead of crossing the Quindio 

 as is customary, and in this way we will take Caitleya Trianae by 

 surprise in its southern haunts. The trail leads over a very inhos- 

 pitable region, cold and dreary. The forest along the highest part 

 of the road consists of shrubs and stunted trees covered with moss. 

 For long stretches trees and shrubs give way to grasses and the insep- 

 arable companion of the high plateaus a giant Gnaphalium. 



Along certain ridges on the trail, in clumps of trees, I noticed 

 Masdevallia racemosa in full bloom; these grew in the thickets in 

 semi-darkness and I am sure that the rays of the sun could never 

 penetrate to their retreats, yet here they flourished unmindful of 

 the cold and dreary atmosphere and darkness. Masses of scarlet 

 and red colors could be seen when peeping through the thickets. 

 Finally we have crossed the paramo and the descent begins through 

 a labyrinth of gorges and precipices and at length we are down on 

 the lower foothills on the eastern side of the Central Cordillera 



