26 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS I BOTANY. 



Barbula robusta (Hook, et Grev.) Brid. (r) and B. flavido-pilosa sp. nov. 

 (r), Pterygophyllmn obscurum (Mont.) Mitt, and Cladomnium crenato- 

 obt^ts^tm sp. nov. (r). 



The vegetation of lichens is not rich, save that in the vicinity of the 

 mouth of the river it reminds one, in some degree, of the abundance of 

 lichens along the beach of the islands, Stictacece, as usual, being well to 

 the front. The following species are deserving of notice : Sticta longipes 

 (Mull. Arg.) Malme, S. caulescens and 5*. damcecornis (Sw.) Ach., Pseudo- 

 cyphellaria faveolata (Del.) Malme, var. cervicornis (Plot.), P. intricata 

 (Del.), P. wainio, var. thouarsii Del. and P. physciospora (Nyl.) 

 Malme. Nephroma antarcticum, Sphcerophorus compressiis and Stereo- 

 caulon ramulosum. 



II. THE COMMUNITY OF DECIDUOUS BEECHES. 



About forty-five kilometers above the mouth of the Rio Aysen a com- 

 plete change takes place in the vegetation, the evergreen beeches and 

 their accompanying species rapidly disappearing, and a new community 

 of plants, that of the deciduous beeches, very dissimilar to the preceding, 

 taking their place. Almost suddenly the twilight of the Ckttsquea-grzss 

 and dense foliage of the evergreen beeches is succeeded by an open and 

 bright landscape, where the pioneers may cease their now unnecessary 

 work and the road is free in almost every direction, without risk of serious 

 impediment. Here also the ground is covered by a beautiful park-like 

 forest, although quite differently composed and with quite another under- 

 growth, as compared with the one previously described. Already attrac- 

 tive from its rich vegetation, this new district becomes still more so from 

 the sharp contrast that its community of plants offers to the one which we 

 have now left behind us. 



Nature has endowed this region richly, almost profusely. Its vegeta- 

 tion is simply luxuriant and in the park-like forest one wades through 

 grasses and other herbs reaching as high as one's waist, this luxuriance 

 being partly explained by a deep layer of rich humus ; a virgin soil that 

 up to the time of our expedition had probably never been trod by human 

 foot. 



The park-like forest is comparatively thin and almost exclusively com- 

 posed of the deciduous beech, Nothofagus antarctica, which does not 



