270 Notices in Natural History. 
upon which other floating plants perish, affording by their 
_ -Sition, an extremely fertile soil, increased from time pages 
constant decay of other plants that spring up and grow in it so 
that in the course of time, these islands, by a gradual augmentation 
in extent and thickness, will in all probability, fill up and cover the 
whole superficies of the lake with their artificial soil, and yield to fu- 
ture ages a mine of inflammable turf which may supply an “— 
leat fuel for domestic uses. 
» Upon these islands, which are called chivinas by the ahaha 
eremmeberol birds of many species. deposit their eggs. Amongst 
them are Swans, Flamingos, Herons and an infinity of merce: mc 
of which are unknown to science. 
ir i. ean of the lake is bast, 
t ~The bill which contains it is’ cillled: el} — y dele ; 
piedra de. afilar,” imactinn hill, 
_» There is a great number of new and i 
ing. ‘the lake. Amongst the new ones M. mae coosenseanll 
ties of Poranthus, one Ranunculus, an Utricularia, a beautiful 
Galvezia, Chotanthera, and a number of arborescent Gyneteria. 
_ The next visit of the Professor was to that part of the Cordilleras 
called. Cauquenes. On this route along the river Cachapual and the 
“rio de Jos cipreses,” he met with more than a hundred wud 
plants which were unknown to him. Along ereemsanerree 
lowed for more than ten leagues a_ basaltic fortation= running , 
ous quartz. He made a chemical analysis of the waters of the bot 
baths-of Cauquenes which are visited annually by great 
invalids from every part of Peru and Chile. The base mal these wa 
ters he found to be a hydrochlorate of soda, although’ it has‘beew 
generally supposed heretofore, that they were indebted for their Vit 
tues to sulphur, of which substance, M. Gay declares, they do not 
fontaine single atom. There are however sulphur baths in the 
‘Tn another letter M. Gay ficeedibien. Nin waves espana 
Yaquil; (the ore of which. is simply auriferous pytites,) and to the 
plain of Colchagua. ‘Passing by the plain,” says he, * we enjoyed 
the curious spectacle which so often disappointed the hopes of the 
French troops in Egypt, when. — from thirst ina —_ 
