Pereskia. Allied to Cactus.

Sometimes called Barbadoes gooseberry. Petunia. Our well-known garden flower in great variety; allied to tobaccothe Brazilian name of tobacco being "petun."

Peumus boldus. Valued chiefly for its scented evergreen leaves. Phycella. Beautiful little Amaryllid, which might be cultivated like tulips. Piper. Our pepper, of which there are several varieties, but amongst the Chuncho Indians the best known and appreciated is the Piper Methysticum, from the root of which they prepare their Kava, by chewing it and ejecting the saliva into large bowls, allowing it to ferment. Ugly old women are constantly employed in the manufacture of this delicacy.

"The Pepper Tree." (Schinus Molle.) So much admired in Australia. Is one of the most beautiful indigenous trees in Peru, seen in great perfection near Ambo. Nat. order, Perebinthacea.

Pitcairnia. (Bromelworts.) A herbaceous perennial with scarlet flowers, growing near Lima.

Platyloma. One of the characteristic ferns of the Perené Valley.

Plumeria. (Dogsbane.) Evergreen trees, about 20 to 25 feet in height.

Polianthes Gracilis. A lily, plentiful around Tarma.

Podocarpus. (Taxads.) A Chilian tree, but common in Peru; evergreen ; cone-bearing; 40 to 50 feet high.

Porliera. An evergreen shrub ;

the peculiarity of which is its sensitive leaves always closing on the approach of rain. (Bean Capers.)

Portulaca. A tuberous rooted evergreen, as its name implies, carrying a milky juice; flowers of various colours; growing in arid places; and used as pot herbs.

Potato. The world has been indebted to Peru for many of its choicest vegetable foods, chief amongst which is the Potato; cultivated by the Incas under the name of "Papa" for centuries before the barbarous conquest. Pteris. The bracken is in Peru, as everywhere else.

Puya. (Bromelworts.) Herbaceous perennial, with yellow flowers.
Pyrolirion. The flame lily; indigenous to Peru; golden flowers.
Physalis. (See Cape Gooseberry.)

Phaseolus. The Lima bean.

Poinsettia. Adorning with its scarlet bracts every plaza in Peru, as it does every tropical garden; few plants are more striking to a stranger. Parasites are the unique feature in Peruvian vegetation. To see a noble monarch of the forest, whose huge trunk and arms are covered with shining Tillandsia and a whole host of climbing plants, while high up amongst the branches are brilliant orchids, contrasting with the dark green foliage, is altogether a very marvellous, interesting, and beautiful sight. Phytelephas. Ivory nut palm; abundant in the Perené valley; yielding the nuts from which we now get our "horn" and "ivory" buttons, &c. Paullinia. (Soapwort.) Moderate-sized evergreen, yielding the guarana; used both for food and physic. Another variety of the same gives us our walking sticks called “Supple Jacks."

Quillaja. (Rosewort.) An evergreen shrub, the bark of which is valued as a hair wash, and to remove grease from cloth; a hardy-looking plant. Quinoa. Important article of food amongst the Cholos on the mountain slopes of Peru; the seeds of Chenopodium.

Quassia. Rather rare, but the tree is occasionally met with in the upper valleys of the Amazon. (Simarubea.) Named after the slave who discovered its use as a poison for flies and a substitute for hops.

Randia. (Cinchonads.) A roundish-leaved, white-flowered shrub; abundant in the Montana.

Rauwolfia. Another common shrub of the Dogbane order, with yellow flowers. Retanilla. (Rhamnads.) Dwarf shrub, with yellow flowers; indigenous to Peru. Rubus. Several very beautiful and prolific varieties of the Bramble growing around Metraro; now introduced into Ceylon by Mr. Clark.

Ruellia. (Acanthads.) A blue-flowering herbaceous plant, rising about 3 feet; Montana.

Rue. There are several varieties of this bitter and strong smelling shrub. Rhatany Root. (See Krameria. )

Rushes. Around the lagoons there are gigantic rushes-" Juncus" and "Scirpus"--which, when tied together, make boats or balsas. The Cholc fishermen at Santa I saw going to sea in these curious crafts.

Roses are quite a passion with the Limians, and many fine varieties are cultivated in their gardens; may be said to be their national flower, as Rosa is their Saint.

Salix Humboldtiana. One of the most beautiful of our willow trees; common at moderate altitudes.

Salpianthus. Allied to Marvel of Peru.

Schinus Molle. (Terbinths.) A kind of wine is made from the pungent seeds of this very beautiful tree. (See Piper.)

Sciadophyllum.

flowers.

A pretty large-leaved climber related to the Ivy; yellow

Scutellaria. (Lipwort.) Scarlet flower.

Smilax. This gives the Sarsaparilla of commerce. A creeping, rather prickly plant; several varieties; most abundant in the Amazon valleys.

Siphocampylos. Allied to Lobelia; bright scarlet flowers.

Siphonia. The best india-rubber is obtained from these trees, the chief home of which is in the Amazon valley. The collecting of rubber is simplicity itself. A tree yields from 2 to 8 gallons a year.

Solanum. (Nightshades.) The number and variety of Solanums, for which we are indebted to Peru, are past being computed from the lovely little creepers, cultivated only for the flowers, to the now universally appreciated potato-from the microscopic weed to the giant tree. Stenomesson. (Amaryllid.) Bulbs, producing beautiful yellow flowers. Sarmienta. (Gesnera.) A creeping red flower.

Schlumbergeria. (Bromelia.) A perennial, with pretty greenish-white flowers; on the Andes.

Senecio.

A peculiar variety of groundsel called Farris's, with yellow flowers.

Sobralia.

Flora of Peru.

Another of the numerous orchids with pink flowers.

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Spathiphyllum. Nat. order, Araceæ ; evergreen herbaceous perennial; growing in moist, hot valleys.

Schizanthus. (Figworts.) Elegant pyramidal flowers of various colours.
Sanchezia. (Acanthacea.) Sub. shrub; yellow, crimson;

several varieties; in moist valleys.

very choice; Syagrus. A cocos-like palm, growing in warm, moist places to a height of about 20 feet.

Swietenia. The mahogany growing abundantly around the Metrero Patenas. Saccharum. Probably nowhere else in the world does sugar cane grow to such rich perfection as on the irrigated lands near the coast of Peru. Tabernæmontana. A very remarkable tree growing on the Perené, about 40 feet high, yielding good fibre, also good milk.

Tacsonia. The Peruvian name of a beautiful and useful passion flower, lovely rose and scarlet flowers, and delicious fruits; it makes a grand greenhouse climber.

Theobroma. This well-known native of Peru yields a delightfully refreshing fruit-poetically Food for Gods"--and commercially affords us our

cocoa.

Thibandia. A kind of small-leaved whortleberry; Andes; pretty pendant flowers.

Tecoma. A showy Bignonia.

Telanthera. (Amaranthus.) Various; herbaceous.

Tillandsia. Peru is peculiarly rich in this epiphyte; its silvery foliage and beautiful bluish flowers adorn many a trunk and branch around Ambo and Matucana.

Tradescantia. (Spiderwort.) A dwarf annual with blue flowers, growing near Lima; also various kinds with rose flowers.

Thunbergia. These exquisite creepers are common in Peru; the Laurifolia with blue flowers around Lima; the pale yellow with dark eye along the roadsides in the interior.

Tropæolum. The Indian cress; often, but erroneously, called Nasturtium. Tangapoo of the Tamils, with its golden pendants. In Lima gardens. [IXORA.] Tree Tomato. (See Cyphomandra.)

Tomato. Now so well known.

upon the original.

Is indigenous to Peru, but we have improved

Urceolina. (Amaryllid.) Common amongst the undergrowth on the Montana; yellowish flowers.

Urospatha. Nat. order, Araceæ. A plant growing in the low country with peculiarly pointed spathe.

Vaccinium. Very like our blaeberry; growing up to 14,000 feet above sea level; also as a parasite.

Vallesia. (Dogsbane.) White-flowering evergreen shrub.

Vanilla planifolia. A parasitical orchid, chiefly valued for the perfume yielded by its pods-the Vanilla of commerce; these vines are abundant in the Perené valley.

Verbenas. In great variety; annuals and perennials.

Violas. Various; but chiefly very diminutive.

Vitis Vinifera. Grapes either for table or wine, of a quality rarely produced in the tropics.

V. Amazonica, which we found growing on the Perené, was merely a
pretty deception.

Walnut. (Juglans.) Several undescribed varieties on the Perené.
Warrea. An Orchid; abundant.

Weinmannia. Evergreen shrub, with white flower; low moist localities.
Welfia regia. A handsome palm.

Witheringia. (Nightshades.) Dwarf solanum; Montana.

Xanthosoma. Like Caladium, or Yam; yellow flowers; low marshy places. Xanthoxylon. Sometimes called the toothache-tree.

Xylopia. (Anonads.) Bitterwood; evergreen shrub, with rough-looking unpalatable fruit.

Yucca. The Peruvian name of a well-known lily (Adam's Needle) growing abundantly on the slopes of the Cordilleras.

Zamia. In low hot localities. Nat. order, Cycadaceae.

Zea. Indian corn. Marvellously prolific in the valleys of the Andes; giving amazing returns, and with little toil affording abundant food and drink of the very best quality.

THE WEST INDIAN ISLANDS.

“Oh! Palms grow high on Aves and fruits that shine like gold,
And the colibris and parrots they are gorgeous to behold;
And the negro-maids in Aves, from bondage now set free,
Will welcome gallant sailors a sweeping from the sea."

-Lay of the Last Buccaneer.

IN returning home, we again passed through Panama, and soon found ourselves once more in the Caribbean Sea. Here we were seized by a desire to see as much as we could of our own West Indian islands. After our sojourn amongst Peruvians and Chunchos, there was now a positive pleasure in moving under the British flag. Our rule may be far from perfect, but I only wish all discontented colonists abroad, and blatant Socialists at home, had an opportunity of carefully contrasting the conditions of life in the South American Republic with that in our British Colonies-the happy laughing negro in Jamaica with the poor dejected Cholo in Peru. Historically, our West Indian Colonies are amongst the most interesting of our possessions, and, though intrinsically of less value than some of the lands we have visited in the upper valleys of the Amazon might be made, as gems of picturesque beauty these islands are not surpassed by any scenery in the British Empire.

:

We are apt to think of the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Trinidad, &c., as a group of islands almost adjoining little realising that they are from 1,000 to 1,500 miles apart, and that the number of these West Indian islands have scarcely yet been computed. They are supposed to form the tips of submerged mountains, some of them higher than Chimborazo; that is to say, the water surrounding them is over four miles in depth. Therefore, the rich valleys lying at the bottom of the sea, it follows that we have only got the poor gravelly ridges to deal with! Taking the Bahamas to begin with-our oldest tropical colonies, and the first western land discovered by Columbus-they number hundreds, nay, thousands, the actual number being over 3,000, though only 30 are thought worthy of being inhabited. These lie just outside the tropics, but the Gulf stream flowing in the narrow channel which separates them from Florida, keeps the temperature up, and permits the cultivation of every tropical product; while, as winter resorts, these islands are becoming every year