3°4 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Mangrove Swamps 

 Mangroves are found only along the muddy shores of salt or brackish 

 water in the tropics. These peculiar trees play an important part in 

 land formation in such places for they keep growing farther and farther 

 into the water and the accumulation about their roots makes new land. 

 They are admirably adapted to live in mud flats. Eoots branch out 

 from the trunk in every direction and keep it upright on the soft bottom. 

 The seeds germinate before they drop off, each forming a long spike- 

 like root which penetrates the mud so that it is not washed away after 

 it falls. Eoots are sent along just beneath the surface of the mud and 

 many small aerial rootlets grow upward from these which enable the 



Mangrove Swamp. Prop roots support the small tree in the foreground and 

 are growing down from the large tree further back. Many aerial roots are sticking 

 up from the mud. 



mangroves to survive in the salty water of the foul mud flats by absorb- 

 ing substances from the atmosphere. 



In the mangrove swamps along the Colombian coast we had a most 

 exciting time. Mr. Trout towed our bongo (dug-out canoe) out on the 

 Cienaga Grande, a large estuary, with his launch, and we spent several 

 days at the edge of the mangroves. At night we were obliged to pull 

 out into the middle of the Cienaga, for the mosquitoes were unbearable. 

 One evening a vampire bat took the liberty of biting one of the party 

 on the top of the head while he slept. Two of us had been hunting with 

 jack-lights and on returning found him with his hair full of blood. 



