58 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. y] 



at 4,000 feet elevation. Headquarters v^as then transferred to Quito, 

 the capital, at 9,500 feet elevation. The only important railroad in 

 Ecuador runs from Guayaquil to Quito, crossing the coastal plain for 

 about 100 kilometers and then ascending through one of the valleys to 

 the Sierra or central plateau over a pass about 10.000 feet. The train 



Fig. 67. — Angel's trumpet (Datura arbor ea), a small tree 

 about 8 feet tall with white flowers about 8 inches long. A 

 native plant frequently cultivated for ornament in the 

 Andes. 



takes two days to make the trip, stopping overnight at Riobamba. 

 Quito is rather cold, but Riobamba and Ambato have a very salubrious 

 climate. 



An overland trip w^as made from Quito to Tulcan on the Colom- 

 bian border, occupying about a week. Another trip taking- about three 



