7g8 C. SKOTTSBERG 



was "a species of oat, which grows very luxuriantly, and towards the westward 

 covers the ground for many miles." Bertero accompanied King and assisted him 

 in collecting. King remarks 1. c. 305 that Bertero considered the vegetation to 

 be "very little like the Chilean, but to partake more of that of California"; in 

 his report Bertero says that he had found some plants also known from Cali- 

 fornia. 



After his visit to Masatierra in 1832 Claude Gay published an account of 

 its flora and fauna, justly characterized by Johow {2. 44) as "mui fantastica i 

 llena de inexactitudes". A visit in June, 1838, by DUMONT d'Urville and JAC- 

 QUINOT in command of a French expedition added nothing to our knowledge of 

 the vegetation. Although Jacquinot believed that no naturalist had visited the 

 place before, he only spent 2^/2 hours on shore and contented himself with the 

 impression that "les productions de cette ile me paraissent etre tout a fait ana- 

 logues a celles de la cote de Chili" (I.e. 336). The surroundings of the harbour 

 with their fertile alluvial soil were almost entirely covered with RJiap]ia7ius sa- 

 tivus, but at some distance inland groups of trees were seen. 



End of October, 1854, FiLlBERTO GERMAIN collected on the islands and 

 made some interesting discoveries on Masafuera, where HUGH CUMiNG had been 

 the first botanist, in 1830. Germain's collections gave, as it were, birth to R. A. 

 Philippi'S review of the flora of the archipelago (1. c). His own short visit to 

 Masatierra in 1864 (4 days) added few novelties but nevertheless is of particular 

 interest, because the maqui [Aristotelia maqui) was for the first time stated 

 to occur on Masatierra, very likely brought there on purpose — the berries are 

 edible — and rapidly spread by the thrush. Its introduction into the defenseless 

 native forest was the greatest calamity registered in the history of the vegetation, 

 as well expressed by Johow 2. 108 — 109. In spite of being cut for fuel it is 

 gaining ground and has spread to Masafuera. Another weed, also discovered by 

 Philippi in 1864, was Acaena argentca, which has become a serious pest in 

 Masatierra, thanks to its barbed achenes carried far and wide by man and beasts 

 and not only transforming the "avenales" into an Acaenetum, but also encroaching 

 upon the native grass communities and the open rocky ridges several hundred 

 m above the sea. It may be said to its credit that, in some measure at least, 

 it helps to check erosion and that it forms an interesting hybrid with Margyri- 

 carpiis digynms. I believe that it was introduced to Masafuera with the convict 

 settlement in 1909, for I did not see it there in 1908 but found it well established 

 in 191 7. It has not been reported from Santa Clara. 



In November, 1875, H. M. S. Challenger remained 3 days in Cumberland 

 Bay. In spite of the short time the naturalist, Mr. H. N. MOSELEY, brought to- 

 gether a considerable collection of plants. His report, copied by Hemsley 1. c, 

 contains little information on the general character of the vegetation, but is not 

 without interest. Of importance is the statement that "everywhere for the first 

 few hundred feet, trees are absent, the wood having been all felled," — this 

 applies to Cumberland Bay — and when ascending the trail to Portezuelo, Mose- 

 ley observed that "the first tree was met with at about 700 feet altitude, all 

 below had been cut down;" thus, already 75 years ago, the lower boundary of 



