78 List of the Plants of Chile. 



turning it till you see (through the point of view K) the brightest 

 light fall upon the center of the chosen side, as shown on Y. It be- 

 ing now adjusted, unscrew the clamp, and revolve !I gently from you, 

 (inferiorly) till you catch the same intenseness of light as you started 

 vsrith, resting upon its remaining side (the faint shadowing playing 

 upon either edge of the side viewed, leaving a line of strong light 

 passing through its center). Screw the clamp fast again and read 

 the angle off, — the degrees upon BB, and the minutes upon DD. 



By this simple and expeditious process, the angles of any crystal 

 (reflecting light from its sides and above the size of a pin's head, till 

 so large that we can measure it by the simple goniometer) may be 

 found with the surest accuracy. 



Art. XIV. — List of the Plants of Chile; translated from the "Mer- 

 auHo Chileno,^^ byW. S. W. Ruschenberger, M. D. U. S. Navy. 



(Continued from Vol. XX. p. 260.) 



Faba vulgaris. Moench. Haba. A plant cultivated in fields 

 and olitories. Its seeds are eaten when tender and serve to thicken 

 broth which the French call puree. Beans make a good diet for 

 horses, and it woud be well to extend their cultivation with this view, 

 and particularly in winter when there is a scarcity of grass and straw 

 and barley is advanced in price. 



Fabiana imbricafa. Ruiz and Pavon. A small tree in sandy 

 places near the torrents of Taguatagua and San Fernando. It is 

 called Pichi ; its singular appearance, the disposition of its small 

 leaves and the great number of its whitish flowers, recommend it as 

 an ornamental plant. Country people make spoons of its wood. 

 There is I think another plant bearing the same vulgar name which 

 it is said serves as a dye. I have not seen it and therefore cannot 

 speak of it. 



Fagus obliqua. Mirb. Roble — oak — a tree common in the high 

 mountains. Its trunk sometimes acquires the thickness of three or 

 four yards and a very considerable height. The wood is much 

 used in carpentry ; it is used in the construction of houses, ships, 

 cart-wheels, he. Its bark is good for tanning hides and gives them 

 a red color. In the spring is formed on the branches of this tree a 

 great number of whitish tubercles, the parenchyma of which is spongy, 

 though sufficiently consistent at first. I thought it a galla or ex- 



