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March 20th 1835 = Red Snow =

In the road from St Jago de Chili to Mendoza by the Portillo pass there are two distinct Cordilleras or chains lines of mountains. In both of these ridges on the Eastern & Western slope the road passes over large masses of perpetual snow.— On these I noticed much of the substance called "red Snow". The elevation as calculated from Humboldt is given in Mr Caldcleugh travels as 12800 ft.— Mr Miers (in his account of the passage of the Andes) mentions seeing both Red & Green Snow in the [2 words illeg] frequented pass of Uspallata Uspallata or Las Cuevas: He states no particulars.— I was not fortunate enough to meet with it in this At the time of year I passed (April 5th) there was scarcely any snow on this road.— I first noticed the Red Snow by the color of the impression of the Mules hoofs: as if they had been slightly bloody, also in some places where the Snow was thawing very rapidly. The color is a fine rose with a tinge of brick red.— The surface of the Snow appears is scattered over as seen from the mules back to be scattered over with bits of dirt. My first idea was that it was the dust of the red Porphyrius, blown by the strong winds from bare crumbling sides of the Mountains.

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burst & that the cloud of granules is the dark spot in middle of red fluid,— We have then 1st colourless outer tunic, with (2d) do granular lining. 3d tunic of red globule. 4th. red fluid. 5th contained most minute, scarcely visible granules.— With respect to the Red fluid, of course it cannot its existence is only known after a short soaking in fluids: how it may exist in the dry or fresh specimen I do not know.— It is singular. In one case, the outer bark (= about 1/6" focal dist.), contained two distinct red balls.— The existence of this Cripto plant substance in Lat: growing at a great elevation in the Perpetual Snow appears as rather curious instance of the geographical distribution of plants. I understand the late Navigators have found Red Snow in the Antarctic regions.— The existence of this Cryptogamic plant in Lat S. growing on the lower patches of Perpetual Snow is a rather interesting fact in the laws of the distribution of Vegetables. Has found on many mountains in Europe and on rocks in Scotland.

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The particles look as if they many were 1/10th of inch in size. This is an optical deception, owing to the magnifying powers of the large coarse crystals of Snow. Hence on being taken up the particles almost disappear. The Snow being taken up & crushed between the fingers or on paper communicates a red tinge, but otherwise as I have said with the exception of a few places the Snow before mechanical violence pressure is not coloured.— Examining it with a weak pocket lens the snow on which such coarse particles appeared to have adhered groups of (from 10-40) minute spheres most minute circular atoms were clearly visible. Each was perhaps about 2 diameters apart from the others.— These groups caused the appearance of such coarse particles.—

I placed some of them between the leaves of my Note-Book. on my return to Valparaiso, after 2 months interval, I examined the paper.— The Spots where I had placed were now stained of pale dirty brown (V accompanying Specimen).— The greater number of little spores had been crushed & were not to be distinguished. I extracted removed however some tolerably perfect.— Being placed in water they became more transparent & showed with transmitted as well as reflected light a fine Arterial Blood Red Color.— They varied in size, & the outline is quite smooth the largest & most perfect being exactly 1/1000th of inch in diameter. The outline is not perfectly regular or smooth.

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The red centre is seen to have a thin trans nearly colourless bark: the red matter appears to be a fluid which is not miscible with water, Alcohol or Sulphuric Acid.— It would appear a fluid from being separable into variously sized perfect globules.— On applying diluted Sulp. Acid, the outer coat is either destroyed or so very soft that on the least touch falls off is composed of an outer most delicate tunic lined with granular matter.— This bark was often torn & ragged in many of those Specimens I removed from the Paper: The [2 words illeg] red body is perfectly sphærical & smooth after remaining some minutes in the Acid is active in two very different modes: in one case, suddenly with a start the sphere enlarges to twice or three its previous diameter, the color becomes much paler less intense (& this continues to decrease), the whole appearing as a drop of pale red fluid, not miscible in surrounding medium. There has also fallen a cloud of equal most minute circular sphærical grains.— I believe they are granular sphærical, for they are but just Visible with my highest power 1/20th inch focal dist lens.— In other case, the red ball rather contracts, the red fluid being is seen owing to its contraction to have contained in a thin colorless case & contains has in its middle a darker spot. In this state tolerably strong acid appears to have scarcely any further effect:— It would appear probable that in the first case, that this tunic must have suddenly

[continued in pencil on CD P. 320A inserted after end of the voyage]

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Vol IV p. 231 Greville Scottish Cryptogam Flora4 describes — balls, fine garnet colour, exact sphærical nearly opake sited on substratum of gelatinous matter; for most nearly equal in size.= Smaller ones generally surrounded by pellucid limb, gradually becomes less as globules increase in size.— in full sized specimen internal surface appears granulated, from contained granules; granules 6-8 in number globose. capsule left floating after bursting of sclera.—

Protococcus nivalis

Decandoelle could not see granules only oily fluid.—

There is no notice taken of being in groups.—

Thinks presence owing to flowing of melted snow.— Rocks at higher level

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Bauer states they are 1/100 of a line.—

Were my specimens going over with envelope.—