Monkeys of South America, cries of, 199, 203.
Monocotyledons, numerous species of, 212.
Moon, natural representations of, 165.
——, Mountains of the, 9;
disquisition on, 114, 115.
Mont Blanc, 210.
Monte, the term, in Spanish, applied both to mountain and forest, 194.
Monte Video, situation and temperature of, 104.
—— Nuovo, in the Peloponnesus, 356.
Mouflon, the long-horned, of South America, 11.
Mountains, of South America, system of, 30, 31;
plan for measuring the heights of, 33;
vast range in North America, 35–38;
the Cordilleras the longest chain in the world, 42, 43;
plateaux of Asia, 53–62;
table of elevations, 68;
general view of the great mountain chains of Asia, 63–73;
on the snow-lines of, 73 _et seq._;
masses of, in South America, 84;
numerous terms for, in the Castilian dialects, 191, 202;
the names of, derived from the most ancient relics of languages, 236;
transparency of the atmosphere of, 238;
process of their formation, 262.
Mule, instinctive cunning of the, for allaying his thirst, 15.
Musk Ox, of South America, 11, 125;
of the Mississippi, 40.
Muyscas, the ancient inhabitants of New Granada, 425;
civilization of, 426.
Mylodon robustus, 222.
Myrtaceæ (Myrtles), 179, 280;
of Australia, 312;
one of the vegetable forms by which the aspect of Nature is
principally determined, 229, 343–345.
Mysore, plateau of, its elevation, 58.
Naiads, the, 213.
Nations, characteristics of, formed by climate, 219.
Natron Lakes, of Egypt, 44.
Nature, the study of, conducive to intellectual repose, 21;
her powerful influence in the regions of the tropics, 154, 215;
the life-springs of, ever prolific and eternal, 173;
the many voices of, revealed in animal existence, 200–201;
periodic stagnation of 215;
great convulsion of, in the Mediterranean, 216, 262–265;
general physiognomy of, 218, 219;
principally determined by sixteen forms of plants, 221;
vital force of, illustrated by Epicharmus, 383–385.
Negroes, various hordes of, in Africa, 19.
Nemterequeteba, the ancient Peruvian “messenger of God,” 397, 425, 426.
Nevado de Sorata, immense elevation of, 43.
—— de Illimani, elevation of, 43.
—— situation and elevation of peaks, 204.
New Granada, the ancient seat of civilization, 425, 426;
the native land of the potato, 426, 427.
Niagara, origin of the falls of, 165.
Nile, on the sources of the, 115–129;
windings of, in Abyssinia, 157.
Noon-day, the stillness of in the tropics, contrasted with the night,
200;
all larger animals then take refuge in the forest, 201.
Oaks, cover the mountain plains of the equator in South America, 231;
immense size and age of an oak in the department of Charente, 275;
elevated situation of, growing in Mexico, 135.
Oases, of the African desert, 2, 3;
number of, in Egypt, 44;
the name of, Egyptian, 45.
Ocean, vegetation of the, 48, 49;
phosphorescence of the, 212, 245.
Ocellinæ, the, 253.
Oco, rock of, 163.
Opuntiaceæ, 310.
Orange River, its elevation, 58.
—— trees, number and magnitude of, in the Huertas de Pucara, 400.
Orchideæ, natural history of the, 312, 313;
one of the vegetable forms by which the aspect of Nature is
principally determined, 226, 227.
Oregon, territory of, 35;
temperature of, 104.
Orinoco, the wild luxuriance of its regions, 19;
rock engravings on the banks of, 82;
the great steppe extending from the mouth of the, 81;
accounts of the cataracts of, 153 _et seq._;
the name unknown in the interior of the country, 155;
simply called “the river,” 155;
current produced by the, 155;
the mighty waters of poured into the Atlantic, 156;
general description of, 157 _et seq._;
its general course and remarkable windings, 159;
picturesque rocky vales of, 161;
its course along the chain of the Parime, 161, 162;
separates the forest of Guiana from the extensive savannahs, 162;
danger to boatmen from floating forest trees, 162;
possesses the singular property of colouring black the reddish masses
of granite, 163, 164;
on the sources of the, 158, 175, 176, 178, 180;
the ancient water level considerably depressed, 164;
illustrative notes, 174–190;
passes through the mountains of the Parime, 200.
Orotava, colossal dragon-tree of, 268, 269.
Orphic Argonaut, mythical narrations of, 265.
Otaheiti, sugar cane of, 25.
Otomacs, or Ottomaks, a tribe of Indians who eat earth, lizards, &c.,
20, 142, 143;
observations on, 144, 145;
the poison curare used by, 151.
Ox, the constant attendant of man, 17;
everywhere exposed to attack, 17.
Pacaraima Mountains, 182, 183, 184.
——, latitude of, 185, 186.
Pachydermata, 222.
Pacific Ocean, first view of, from the Guangamarca of the Andes, 419;
immense advantages to be derived from a direct communication with the
Atlantic, 433.
Paco, of South America, 126.
Padano River, 176, 179.
Padurello, 212.
Palms of South America, 12, 13, 135, 136, 298;
the Piriguao, one of the noblest forms of the, 161, 185;
the family of, 221;
the most stately of all vegetable forms, by which the aspect of
nature is principally determined, 223;
on the habitat and natural history of, 297–304;
form and colour of the fruit, 303.
Pampa de Navar, 406.
Pampas of South America, 2;
general observation on, 29.
Panama, Isthmus of, various measurements of, 434, 435.
Paragua, a general name for water or sea, 193.
Paraguamusi River, 183.
Paramo de la Suma Paz, the mountain group of the Caracas, its
elevation, vegetation, &c., 4, 84;
the highest Alpine regions, 83, 94;
of the Andes, in Peru, elevation and description of, 392, 407.
Paramu River, 176.
Parasitic vermes, 251.
Parime, mountain chain of the, 161, 162, 200;
the terra incognita of South America, 178;
the lake of, alleged to be the source of the Orinoco, 181, Zabulon,
187;
a general name for water or sea, 183;
the great Mar de la, proved to be the Lake Amucu, 188.
Paropanisus, the snow-crowned summits of 155, 175.
Parras, elevation of, 208.
Paspalum, the steppes covered with, 16.
Passo del Norte, elevation of, 208.
Pastos, Province de los, its elevation, 58.
Peccary, tracts of the, 197.
Pentastoma, 213;
a division of the parasitic vermes, 251.
Peru, remains of the great road formed by the Incas, 393–397.
Periplus of Scylax, 46.
Peru, Pizarro’s invasion of, 395, 397;
historical notions of, 397; treasures taken from the temples of, by
the Spaniards, 410, 430;
ancient worship of the sun, 430, 431.
Petrifactions, wonderful phenomena presented by the study of, 373.
Phanerogamic plants, 220, 233, 276;
immense variety of, 276–278;
numerical relations of 279 _et seq._
Philippines, inhabited by the Spanish race, 191.
Phœnicians, extent of their discoveries, 110, 111.
Phosphorescence of the ocean, 212, 245.
Photocharis, luminosity of the, 247.
Phyllodia, 345.
Phyto-corals, 252, 253.
Pinduri, perpetual snow-line of the, 77.
Pine forest at Chilpanzingo, 328, 329;
of South America, 194, 231;
elevated situation of some growing in Mexico, 315;
various species of, in Europe, 318;
their geographical distribution, 321;
gigantic forms of, 323–325.
Pinnate leaves, physiognomy of, 352.
Piragua, mouth of the, 166.
Pirara River, course of the, 186.
Pirigara, singular properties of the, 348.
Piriguao, one of the noblest species of palm-trees, 161, 185.
Pizarro’s invasion of Peru, 395, 397.
Plains, desert, of Africa, 2;
vast extent of, 3;
of Asia, 4.
Plains. See Steppes, Llanos, &c.
Plantains, one of the plants by which the aspect of Nature is
principally determined, 224, 227;
immense one in Lycia, 272.
Plants, various species of, in the great Asiatic Steppes, 4;
different characteristics of, in Africa and South America, 10;
on the cultivation of, in elevated plateaux, 62;
in the Llanos of the Caracas, 94;
the farinaceous grasses, 128;
ideas on the physiognomy of, 210–231;
illustrative notes, 232–352;
universality of their existence, 214;
causes of the absence of, over large tracts of land, 216, 217;
sixteen forms by which the aspect of Nature is principally
determined, 221–229 _et passim_;
Palms, 223;
Plantains, or Bananas, Malvaceæ and Bombaceæ, 224;
Mimosas, Heaths, 225;
Cactuses, Orchideæ, Casuarineæ, 226;
Coniferæ, Pothos, Lianes, 227;
Aloes, Grasses, 228;
Ferns, Liliaceæ, Willows, Myrtaceæ, Melastomaceæ, and Laurineæ, 229;
on the numerous species of Phanerogamia, and their extensive
geographical distribution, 276–294;
illustrative notes on the various forms of plants which principally
determine the aspect of Nature, 296–346 _et passim_;
as yet imperfectly explored in South America, 292–294;
gigantic pines and cypresses, 323, 324, 326;
beauties of the aspect of, 346, 349;
general view of the physiognomy of, 349–352;
on the similarity of vegetative forms, 351.
In addition to the plants above enumerated, the following which occur
_passim_, are referred to under their respective alphabetical
entries:—
Acaciæ, Alders, Amentaceæ, Amygdaleæ, Aristolochias, Arundaria,
Bambusaceæ, Banyans Bignonias, Carolinas, Caladiums, Cæsalpina,
Compositæ, Crescentia, Cruciferæ, Cryptogamia, Cupuliferæ,
Custaceæ, Cyaceæ, Cynometia, Cyperaceæ, Diœciæ, Dicotyledons,
Ephidiæ, Ericaceæ, Escalloneæ, Euphorbiaceæ, Fucus, Glumaceæ,
Gustavia, Hymeneæ, Juncaceæ, Labiatæ, Leguminosæ, Melastomas,
Melocactus, Monocotyledons, Oaks, Opuntiaceæ, Phyllodia, Piniferæ,
Polypodiaceæ, Portulaceæ, Rosaceæ, Rubraceæ, Saxifrage,
Synanthereæ, Terebinthaceæ, Theobroma, Tiliaceæ, Umbelliferæ,
Urticeæ, Yews, &c.
Plata, Steppes of, 6.
Plateaux, mountain, of Mexico, general elevation of, 209;
of Caxamarca, Humboldt’s journey over the, 390–420;
of Asia, 53–62;
table of elevations, 58.
Pleuronectes, a species of sea-fish, 260.
Pliny’s account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, 369, 370.
Podocarpus taxifolia, its geographical distribution, 322.
Poison, used by the Otomaks, 151, 152.
Polygastrica, 212.
Polypodiaceæ, family of the, 338.
Polyps, natural history of the, 253.
Pompeii buried by an eruption of Vesuvius, 369.
Pongo River, 401, 402.
Pontus. See Euxine.
Popayan, plateau of, its elevation, 58.
Popocatepetl, volcano of, 65.
Porites elongata, 260, 261.
Porlieria hygrometrica, 401.
Port Famine, situation and temperature of, 109.
Portulacas, 214.
Potato plant, the native produce of New Granada, 426, 427.
Pothos, one of the vegetable forms by which the aspect of Nature is
principally determined, 227, 329;
belongs exclusively to tropical climates, 329.
Prairies on the Missouri, 2.
Primeval Forest. See Forest.
Pumacena, the island of, 159.
Pumice, volcanic origin of, 369.
Purimarimi, perilous cataract ledge of, 166.
Quad-Dra, the river, its course through the Sahara, 92.
Quadrupeds of South America, 12, 133;
of the Mississippi, 40.
Queretaro, elevation of, 208.
Quina Bark and Tree, notices of, 423.
Quito, plateau of, its elevation, 58;
the first conquest of, by the Incas of Peru, 236;
the table-land of, one volcanic hearth, 360;
one of the capitals of the Incas, 396.
Rafflesia, immense flowers of the, 231.
Rain, general effects of, after drought in the Steppes, 16, 138.
Rattlesnake, vermes which inhabit the lungs of the, 251.
Raudal, the cataract of, 165;
dangerous navigation of, 166.
Red Sea, coral reefs in the, 255.
Reinaud, M., on the Mountains of the Moon, 115.
Remora, the sucking fish, an agent for catching turtle, 257, 258.
“Rhodian Genius,” dissertation on the mysterious painting so called,
380–385;
the principles of vital force illustrated from, by Epicharmus, 383;
illustrative note, 386–389.
Rhopala ferruginea, 401.
Rio de la Plata, its magnitude, 156.
Rivers, effects of, overflowing their banks, 17;
of South America, 156;
of the Caracas, the peculiar blackness of the water, 160;
a generic name for, usually adopted by those inhabiting their banks,
183;
the only means of traversing the continent of South America, 195;
the names of, derived from the most ancient relics of languages, 236.
Roads, remains of the great road of the Incas, 393–397.
Rocca del Palo, the highest northern margin of the crater of Vesuvius,
376.
“Rock of Patience,” at the entrance of the River Meta, 161.
Rocks of South America, images graven in, 20, 147, 148.
Rocky Mountains, estimated height of, 32;
extent of, 35;
observations on the, 205, 206.
Rome, temperature of, 108.
Rose Tree, great size and longevity of one in the Cathedral of
Hildesheim, 275, 276.
Rosaceæ, growing in the Asiatic Steppes, 4, 95;
ratio of their distribution, 321.
Rotation Stream of the Atlantic, 120–122.