of an Orchid Hunter. 143 



the whole of the valley of Pacho. The land is very 

 fertile, besides having an excellent climate and an 

 abundance of water. We were not lon^ in taking to 

 the mountain-track ; the huge peak almost awed us as 

 we looked up to it, towering above us to a height of 

 2,000 feet ; and as we ascended the scenery took the 

 most fantastic form. Immense boulders of incalcul- 

 able height seemed to have been torn from their 

 position and stood on edge. The stunted vegetation 

 is crowded with large quantities of parasites of the 

 family Loranthus, living on the sap of the tree which 

 supports them. Many of these plants have lovely 

 flowers, and one in particular, which was new to me, 

 was covered with brilliant scarlet, waxy tubes about 

 three inches long — these, of course, being utterly im- 

 possible to export in plant form, seeing that they derive 

 their life from the sap of the tree on which they hang. 

 All the birds I saw were birds of prey, probably on 

 account of the shelter provided for them in the wild, 

 impenetrable precipices which form the mountain-side 

 — hawks, kites, and eagles wheeling around, poising 

 themselves in mid-air, or swooping clown with a fierce 

 dart only to rise again bearing some careless squirrel 

 or stray rabbit. Occasionally a pair of condors might 

 be seen, looking, even at that height, like giants 

 amongst their neighbours. It was only after immense 

 toil that I made half the ascent of the mountain; then 



