hearsay, and the sudden change of the climate, which here becomes an extremely wet one, is probably the reason why the tree does not exist on the west coast in a much higher latitude, as do the majority of the trees and plants which are associated with it.
Another point in which I must differ from Poeppig is the bareness of the Araucaria forests of other vegetation. Though, of course, where the trees are closely crowded not many plants grow in their shade, yet the number of beautiful terrestrial orchids and other plants which I found in the more open parts of the Araucaria forest was very striking, and Miss North's observations in the Nahuelbuta range quite confirm my opinion that the moderate shade of the Araucaria is not prejudicial to herbaceous plants.
The soil on which it grows is mostly of volcanic origin, sometimes covered with deep vegetable mould, but more usually dry and rocky; and the climate, though warm and dry in the months of December, January, and February, is cold and wet in winter.
The only exact particulars I can give of the climatic variations were taken during the winter of 1901 at Rahue in the upper Biobio Valley, near Longuimay, at an elevation of 700 metres, which is lower and thus probably warmer than that of the Araucaria region. These observations I have condensed as follows:—
| Maximum | Minimum Centigrade | ||||
| Between April 21 | and 30 | + 26 (on 25th) | - 3 (on 30th) | ||
| Between„ May 1 | and„ 31 | + 19 (1st, 25th) | -7 (on 13th) | snow on 7 days. | |
| Between„ June 1 | and„ 30 | + 22 (on 27th) | -6 (on 24th) | snow on 8 days. | |
| Between„ July 1 | and„ 31 | + 12 (on 27th) | 5 (on 10th) | snow on 6 days. | |
| Between„ Aug. 1 | and„ 30 | + 12 (on 19th) | 6 (on 17th) | snow on 5 days. | |
| rain on 7 days. | |||||
| Between„ Sept. 1 | and„ 30 | + 24 (on 27th) | ? 10 (on 2nd) | snow on 1 day. | |
| rain on 12 days. | |||||
| Between„ Oct. 1 | and„ 31 | + 30 (on 17th) | ? 6 (on 8th) | snow on 2 days, | |
| rain on 5 days. | |||||
| Between„ Nov. 1 | and„ 23 | + 25 (on 21st) | ?? | snow on 2 days. | |
| rain on 7 days. | |||||
Reduced to Fahrenheit this register shows a very similar climate to that of some parts of England, very variable all the year round, but probably hotter and more sunny in winter.
As regards the summer climate I may say that in the months of January and February, which are the height of summer, it was never cold by day, and the sun and wind often unpleasantly warm, but at night the thermometer often fell to near freezing-point, and on one occasion, on 1st February, my sponge was frozen in camp just south of Lake Aluminé at about 5000 feet. We know that the Araucaria has borne in Great Britain temperatures below zero Fahr. without injury on dry and suitable soil, but it evidently will not endure the continuous wet of the southern coast region of Chile.
In the Forstliche Naturwissenschaftliche Zeitschrift, 1897, iv. 416–426, Dr. Neger, who was naturalist on the Chilean Boundary Survey in 1896–97, gives an
