TROPICAL NATURE IN COLOMBIA 293 



trees have wide props or buttresses extending out from their bases which 

 stiffen them against the fury of tropical storms. Some trees have thick 

 bark which is scaled, or smooth, or ridged, or ringed, or spiny, or what- 

 not; some scarcely have bark at all, but are smooth and naked. Palms 

 not only grow in the conventional form, but many masquerade as climb- 

 ing vines or epiphytes. Everywhere there is specialization and adapta- 

 tion along many lines. 



The humid shade of the forest offers shelter to many animals which, 

 like the plants, show a great variety of adaptations. A large number of 

 animals depend directly on the plants for food. The lowly termites are 

 quick to appropriate any dead or diseased parts ; vegetarian ants swarm 

 everywhere. Long-tailed Kinkajous come forth at night to climb about 

 in the mango trees; wood rats, squirrels and agoutis feed upon the. 

 luscious aguacates ("alligator pears"). Many birds have become spe- 

 cialized for fruit eating : flocks of gaudy parrots squawk among the trees, 

 resplendent toucans wipe their great beaks against the limbs which have 

 borne their repasts. In addition to these specialists many other birds 

 eat fruit when it is available: trogons flit shyly here and there, and 

 conceited motmots perch so that they may proudly wag their beautiful 

 tails from side to side. Yet the denizens of the tropical forest do not 

 appear gaudy and highly colored. A parrot is indeed a splendid object 

 when you hold him in your hand, but stand below a mango tree and you 

 are amazed to find that it is practically impossible to see any of the flock 

 which are squawking noisily through its foliage. Only by watching 

 carefully for movement can you pick out a bird here and there. 



Besides the animals which hunt in the trees many wander about over 

 the ground beneath. These are usually not brightly colored. Tapirs 

 were common about the plantation, and one was killed by the workmen 

 during our stay. These pachyderms had regular trails like cow paths 

 through the forest. Droves of peccaries rooted in the ground and we 

 often saw places where they had been feeding, but that was all. Mr. 

 Flye told us how he had once been treed by a drove of these ferocious 

 " wild hogs " which stood about and gnashed their teeth for a couple of 

 hours. Jaguars and tiger cats hunted in the forest. One day a small 

 boy brought us an armadillo. Agoutis were common everywhere. Once, 

 while I rested at the fork of a river a great agouti came to drink fifty 

 feet below. My Colt was at my hip, but I did not have the heart to 

 shoot him — so much at ease was he, so self-contained, and so in keeping 

 with his forest. He took his drink and went away, never knowing that 

 a strange gringo had watched. Another time we saw a troup of big red 

 monkeys swinging along through the tops of the trees, but they quickly 

 scampered away when they spied us. We always went armed with gun 

 or pistol hoping that we might bag one of the larger mammals, but fate 

 was against us. The large animals are extremely shy and their colora- 



