THE TEOPICAL ZONE. 231 



level of the sea, we are led to expect a vegetation so beautiful 

 that it has been spoken of as " quite a flower-garden." The 

 steep and difficult roads " have more the appearance of the 

 bed of a mountain -torrent, many parts of which appear 

 impassable;" but the mules, by the assistance of which the 

 ascent is ordinarily made, pass along the worst portion of it 

 surely but slowly. 



The magnificence of this forest " cannot be imagined by 

 those who have never seen it or penetrated into its recesses." 

 We are here particularly struck by a feature which creates 

 a marked difference between the forests of the Tropics 

 and those of our colder zone. We generally see our Euro- 

 pean forests composed of but few different species of trees, 

 each particular kind growing gregariously together j but in 

 tropical forests the variety of species is so great that it is 

 seldom two trees of the same kind are found growing near 

 each other. 



Trees of the most various natures here stand in the 

 closest proximity, so that " these sovereigns of the forest 

 may be almost every one of them distinguished from its 

 neighbour in the total effect of the picture ;" the large trees 

 which here surround us consist chiefly of "various species 

 of Palm, Laurel, Fig, Cassia, Bignonia, Solatium, Myrtle, 



