Photo by Frank M. Chapman 

 AN UNUSUALLY RARE PHOTOGRAPH : IT SHOWS A MAN-O'-WAR BIRD WITH 'POUCH 



INFLATED (SEE PAGE 546) 



roundings, and at 9,500 feet we camped 

 in a superb primeval forest of pines, 

 spruce, and oak. The pines (Pinus mon- 

 tezumce and P. liophylla) compared fa- 

 vorably in size with those of the Cali- 

 fornia Sierras, while some of the oaks, 

 locally termed " encimos " we estimated to 

 be 130 feet in height, with a basal diam- 

 eter of 6 feet. 



A singularly incongruous tropical note 

 in this Alpine forest was the presence of 

 Spanish "moss" (Tillandsia) , which in 

 places heavily draped the trees, and crim- 

 son-spiked "wild pines," which in abun- 

 dance grew from favorable root-holds on 

 their branches. The high degree of mois- 

 ture prevailing in this zone of clouds evi- 



dently creates such favorable conditions 

 of humidity for these epiphytes that they 

 have adapted themselves to a much lower 

 temperature than they could endure under 

 dryer conditions. 



At night, enshrouded by the now chilly 

 mist, we sat closely around our camp-fire 

 discussing the prospects of better weather, 

 when, doubtless through a change in the 

 direction of the wind, by us unnoticed, 

 the clouds with surprising suddenness 

 disappeared, and almost as quickly as one 

 would" turn on a light the once ghostly 

 forest was brightly illumined by the rays 

 of a full moon ! The effect was thrilling, 

 but when we looked upward through the 

 pines and saw, impressively near, the 



55i 



