2 9 o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



TKOPICAL NATURE IN COLOMBIA 



Bv Pkofessob A. S. PEARSE 



DNIVEHSITT OF WISCONSIN 



FOE the naturalist reared in temperate climates the tropics will 

 always he a promised land flowing- with biological milk and honey. 

 The medical men have been pioneers in opening up this terra incognita, 

 though they were not the first to enter it. Tropical diseases are no 

 longer looked upon with the dread characteristic of our grandfathers, 

 but for the most part may be as well controlled as those of cooler cli- 

 mates. Though there is still a small element of uncertainty to add savor 

 to tropical exploration, the naturalist of to-day may travel to the edge of 

 an unknown country in a modern steamship and go forth to discover new 

 things with a complete outfit of the latest scientific equipment — if he has 

 the money to buy it. The tropics are the same as when Bates braved the 

 terrors of the Amazon, but modern commerce and modern medicine have 

 made it possible to travel with more or less comfort, and such simple 

 aids as fly dope, quinine, and mosquito netting permit one to penetrate 

 regions which were impossible fifty years ago. 



The present article attempts to describe tropical nature as it exists 

 in northeastern Colombia along the northern end of South America, 

 just south of the Caribbean Sea. The descriptions are based on observa- 

 tions made while the writer was a member of an expedition sent by the 

 museum of zoology, University of Michigan, to explore the region about 

 the old Spanish city of Santa Marta. This portion of South America 

 offers unusual opportunities for zoological study on account of its diver- 

 sity. A strip of sandy desert overgrown with giant cactus stretches 

 along the coast and extends back into the interior seven or eight miles. 

 Beyond this the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas rise ; only twenty miles 

 from the city the peaks attain a height of 8,300 feet above sea level. 

 Many small streams take origin in the mountains and unite to make 

 their way across the lowlands to the coast. Extensive mangrove swamps 

 line the shores of the Cienaga Grande, a great lagoon into which several 

 rivers empty. 



The members of the expedition were met as they stepped on Colom- 

 bian soil by Mr. William A. Trout, the American consul at Santa Marta, 

 Mr. M. A. Carriker, and Mr. 0. Five. These gentlemen and their 

 families did everything they could to make our stay pleasant and profit- 

 able. The Colombian government was also extremely courteous, allowing 

 our outfit to pass the customs without inspection. 



