286 CHONOS ARCHIPELAGO. (CHAP. XIN 
mountains of central Chile, where a drop of rain does not fall for 
more .than six months, and within the damp forests of these 
southern islands. ; 
In the central parts of the Chonos Archipelago (lat. 45°), the 
forest has very much the same character with that along the 
whole west coast, for 600 miles southward to Cape Horn. The 
arborescent grass of Chiloe is not found here; while the beech of 
Tierra del Fuego grows to a good size, and forms a considerable 
proportion of the wood; not, however, in the same exclusive 
manner as it does farther southward. Cryptogamic plants here 
find a most congenial climate. In the Strait of Magellan, as 
I have before remarked, the country appears too cold and wet 
to allow of their arriving at perfection; but in these islands, 
within the forest, the number of species and great abundance of 
mosses, lichens, and small ferns, is quite extraordinary.* In 
Tierra del Fuego trees grow only on the hill-sides; every level 
piece of land being invariably covered by a thick bed of peat; 
but in Chiloe flat land supports the most luxuriant forests. Here, 
within the Chonos Archipelago, the nature of the climate more 
closely approaches that of Tierra del Fuego than that of north- 
ern Chiloe; for every patch of level ground is covered by two 
species of plants (Astelia pumila and Donatia magellanica), 
which by their joint decay compose a thick bed of elastic peat. 
In Tierra del Fuego, above the region of woodland, the for- 
mer of these eminently sociable plants is the chief agent in the 
production of peat. Fresh leaves are always succeeding one to 
the other round the central tap-root ; the lower ones soon decay, 
and in tracing a root downwards in the peat, the leaves, yet hold- 
ing their place, can be observed passing through every stage of 
decomposition, till the whole becomes blended in one confused 
mass. The Astelia is assisted by a few other plants,—here and 
there a small creeping Myrtus (M. nummularia), with a woody 
stem like our cranberry and with a sweet berry,—an Empetrum 
(E. rubrum), like our heath,—a rush (Juncus grandiflorus), are 
nearly the only ones that grow on the swampy surface. These 
plants, though possessing a very close general resemblance to 
scat le Uastver of suite tassels ok tue taaily of Bapeyhiaitoy ana 
others allied to Pselaphus, and minuts Hymenoptera. But the most cha- 
racteristic family in number, both of in dividuals and species, throughout the 
more opev parts of Chiloe and Choos is that of the Telephoride. 
