142 
Journal of Mycology 
[Vol. 12 
road (Ferro-carril del Norte), and the location of the shops and 
offices — all of which however are to be moved immediately to 
Zacapa a town 20 miles farther up the river situated in the 
wider valley of the Zacapa River, a branch of the Motagua. 
Before passing, it is a pleasure to acknowledg the kindly assist¬ 
ance in our work afforded by Mr. G. F. Williamson the Manager 
of the Railroad. In his absence his first assistant Mr. Fox was 
equally polite and obliging to us. At Zacapa the vegetation has 
a more pronounced xerophytic type — the tree Cacti are more 
numerous, and the great wastes of Acacia and Mimosa bushes 
are impressive. Grasses are very numerous — in wet places tall 
forms occur, but over the dry areas short-stemmed species form 
a sparse layer, yet almost dense enough to be called sod. The 
mountains become gradually higher more sharply limiting the 
narrowing valley till El Rancho is reached. 
EL RANCHO. 
This place for years the terminus of the Northern Railroad, 
130 miles from Puerto Barrios and almost half-way across the 
continent in an E. N. E. and W. S. W. line, is an interesting 
region to the traveler as well as to the botanist. The Sierra de 
las Minas immediately to the north lifts its peaks into the clouds, 
attaining an altitude of about 3,000 feet. The mountains to the 
south of the narrow valley are of insignificant height. The 
great river Motagua even at this dry winter season demands care 
from those who ford its waters. But the chief charm is in the 
peculiar vegetation — the numerous Peireskiae (Cacti) With 
leaves still attached or wholly discarded, in all cases loaded with 
the pomiform fruits suggesting at a short distance a real apple 
orchard; the giant Cereus trees and the equally abundant and 
striking Opuntias and their near relatives; the Ficus trees; the 
common Bastard Mahogany, the real Mahogany, the hosts of 
leguminosae and other thorny trees, — and yet other xerophytic 
forms too numerous to mention suggests the field afforded the 
exploring mycologist, making the sojourn at once a place ex¬ 
tremely interesting and equally profitable. This semi-desert 
region extends still farther up the Motagua and again north west¬ 
ward to Salama into regions to be explored on a future trip. 
From this place our route took a west southwesterly course pass¬ 
ing through Sanarate, an important town of considerable altitude, 
across the rugged San Antonio Mountain by a rocky trail, by 
way of Agua Caliente, to the city of Guatemala. 
GUATEMALA CITY. 
At an altitude of about 5,000 feet the city of Guatamala is 
situated on a mesa surrounded by deep barrancas beyond which 
are mountains whose summits are 500 to 1,000 feet above the 
