It is not certain that the tombs in question are all anterior to the advent of the Spaniards. The work of Reiss and Stubel, now in the press, will perhaps give some information on this head; but Wittmack admits, on their authority, that some of the tombs are not ancient. I notice a fact, however, which has passed without observation. The fifty species of Rochebrune are all American. There is not one which can be suspected to be of European origin. Evidently these plants and seeds were either deposited before the conquest, or, in certain tombs which perhaps belong to a subsequent epoch, the inhabitants took care not to put species of foreign origin. This was natural enough according to their ideas, for the custom of depositing plants in the tombs was not a result of the Catholic religion, but was an inheritance from the customs and opinions of the natives. The presence of the common haricot among exclusively American plants seems to me important, whatever the date of the tombs. It may be objected that the seeds are insufficient ground for determining the species of a _phaseolus_, and that several species of this genus which are not yet well known were cultivated in South America before the arrival of the Spaniards. Molina[1711] speaks of thirteen or fourteen species (or varieties?) cultivated formerly in Chili alone. Wittmack insists upon the general and ancient use of the haricot in several parts of South America. This proves at least that several species were indigenous and cultivated. He quotes the testimony of Joseph Acosta, one of the first writers after the conquest, who says that “the Peruvians cultivated vegetables which they called _frisoles_ and _palares_, and which they used as the Spaniards use _garbanzos_ (chick-pea), beans and lentils. I have not found,” he adds, “that these or other European vegetables were found here before the coming of the Europeans.” _Frisole_, _fajol_, _fasoler_, are Spanish names for the common haricot, corruptions of the Latin _faselus_, _fasolus_, _faseolus_. _Paller_ is American.