22 THE TROnCAL WORLD. 



feet, consist in giddiness, buzzing in the ear, headache, and 

 nausea. Their intensity increases with the elevation, and is 

 aggravated by a lassitude, which augments to such a degree 

 as to render walking impossible, by a great difficulty of respi- 

 ration, and violent palpitation of the heart. Absolute rest 

 mitigates these symptoms ; but on continuing the journey they 

 reappear w^ith increased violence, and are then frequently 

 accompanied by fainting and vomiting. The capillary vessels 

 of the eye, nose, and lips burst, and emit drops of blood. The 

 same phenomenon appears also in the mucous membrane of 

 the respiratory and digestive organs ; so that blood-spitting 

 and bloody diarrhoea frequently accompany the Veta, and are 

 sometimes so violent as to cause death. 



The influence of diminished atmospheric pressure likewise 

 shows itself in the horses that are unaccustomed to mountain 

 travelling. They begin to pace more slowly, frequently stand 

 still, tremble all over, and fall upon the ground. If not allowed 

 to rest, they invariably die. By way of a restorative their nos- 

 trils are slit open, which seems to be of use by allowing a 

 greater influx of air. 



As the dry sand of the rainless coast prevents the putrefaction 

 of animal substances which are buried in it, the power of the 

 dry Puna-winds in a like manner arrests the progress of decom- 

 position. Under their influence, a dead mule changes in a few 

 days into a mummy, so that even the entrails do not exhibit the 

 least sign of putrefaction. 



It may easily be imagined that, under these circumstances, 

 vegetation can only appear in stunted proportions, and indeed 

 the Puna presents the monotonous aspect of a northern steppe, 

 its whole surface being covered with dun and meagre herbage, 

 which at all times gives it an autumnal or even wintry aspect. 

 A few arid compositge and yellow echinocacti are quite unable 

 to relieve the dreary landscape ; and even the large-flowered 

 calceolarias, the blue gentians, the sweet-smelling verbenas, 

 and many other Alpine plants, the usual ornaments of the 

 higher mountain regions, are here almost suffocated by the 

 dense grasses. But rarely the eye meets with a solitary quenua 

 tree {Polylepis racemosa) of crippled growth, or with large 

 spaces covered with red-brown ratania shrubs, which are 

 carefully collected for fuel, or for roofing the wretched huts of 

 the scanty population of these desolate highlands. 



