THE ANDEAN FORESTS, 145 



eastern side of the main range they all belong to one species, the decidu- 

 ous beech, Fagtts antarctica. Clinging to the branches were great bunches 

 of Myzodendron punctahim, a beautiful green parasite resembling very 

 closely our common mistletoe. A number of species of edible fungi grew 

 attached to the branches and trunks of the trees, including the handsome 

 orange-colored Cyttaria darwinii, which grows in small spherical masses 

 uith convoluted surface. This forms a staple article of food with the 

 Channel Indians of the west coast and Tierra del Fuego. With the ex- 

 ception of the beech, no plant grows in these forests that is worthy of 

 being called a tree. Indeed, the next largest plant is a species of black 

 currant, which, under exceptionally favorable conditions, occasionally 

 I (u-s to a hr^ht of KMne dgfel Of ten t.-ct ( Mi tin- .-ut-kirN "I the t". Test 

 the trees are generally dwarfed and ill-shaped, but within they frequently 

 attain no inconsiderable dimensions, reaching to a height of forty or 

 fifty feet, with a diameter near the base of three, four, or even five feet, or 

 more in rare instances. The heart-wood is of a reddish color, of fairly 

 fine grain and capable of receiving a considerable degree of polish. About 

 Sandy Point, Dawson Island, and at several stations in Tierra del Fuego, 

 considerable quantities of this wood are being manufactured into rough 

 lumber, though it is really better adapted for inside than for outside use. 

 If properly handled, there is no reason why it should not make a fairly 

 good lumber for cabinet purposes. When subjected to the combined effects 

 of the atmosphere and moisture, it rapidly decays and soon becomes quite 

 useless, so that the dead timber is always entirely ruined by decay. As 

 fuel it burns readily and makes a quick fire, but the coals do not hold fire 

 for any considerable length of time. Owing to this last property it should 

 be especially valuable for the manufacture of matches, for once the flame 

 is extinguished, the fire is out immediately. 



Growing upon the ground, on fallen and decayed logs and about the 

 trunks and branches of trees, are a considerable variety of mosses and Hep- 

 aticae, while these plants, together with several species of ferns, are also 

 common among rocky ledges and on the shores and in the waters of the 

 smaller branches of streams, though not nearly so numerous or diversified 

 as in forests along the channels of the west coast On the lower outskirts 

 of the forests there grows a considerable variety of small shrubs, one of 

 the most abundant of which is a large shrubby member of the Composite, 

 made conspicuous by its abundance of beautiful white blossoms. 



