stranger who came within
twenty feet of it, even if one's motive was nothing more annoying than
scientific curiosity. The vicuna is the smallest American "camel,"
yet its long, slender neck, small head, long legs, and small body,
from which hangs long, feathery fleece, make it look more like an
ostrich than a camel.

In the churchyard of Santa Rosa are two or three gnarled trees which
have been carefully preserved for centuries as objects of respect and
veneration. Some travelers have thought that 14,000 feet is above the
tree line, but the presence of these trees at Santa Rosa would seem
to show that the use of the words "tree line" is a misnomer in the
Andes. Mr. Cook believes that the Peruvian plateau, with the exception
of the coastal deserts, was once well covered with forests. When man
first came into the Andes, everything except rocky ledges, snow fields,
and glaciers was covered with forest growth. Although many districts
are now entirely treeless, Mr. Cook found that the conditions of light,
heat, and moisture, even at the highest elevations, are sufficient
to support the growth of trees; also that there is ample fertility of
soil. His theories are well substantiated by several isolated tracts
of forests which I found growing alongside of glaciers at very high
elevations. One forest in particular, on the slopes of Mt. Soiroccocha,
has been accurately determined by Mr. Bumstead to be over 15,000 feet
above sea level. It is cut off from the inhabited valley by rock falls
and precipices, so it has not been available for fuel. Virgin forests
are not known to exist in the Peruvian highlands on any lands which
could have been cultivated. A certain amount of natural reforestation
with native trees is taking place on abandoned agricultural terraces
in some of the high valleys. Although these trees belong to many
different species and families, Mr. Cook found that they all have
this striking peculiarity--when cut down they sprout readily from
the stumps and are able to survive repeated pollarding; remarkable
evidence of the fact that the primeval forests of Peru were long ago
cut down for fuel or burned over for agriculture.

Near the Santa Rosa trees is a tall bell-tower. The sight of a
picturesque belfry with four or five bells of different sizes hanging
each in its respective window makes a strong appeal. It is quite
otherwise on Sunday mornings when these same bells, "out of tune with
themselves," or actually cra