48 CUBA AND PORTO ItICO 



San Antonio, which disappears beneath the roots of a large 

 ceiba-tree, withoul surface continuity to the sea. 

 With the exception of the great Zapata and a few 



swampy places toward the western extremity of the 

 island, Cuba is singularly free from marshy or poorly 

 drained land. Occasionally a few acres of play a, or low 

 alluvial land, may be found around the harbors, but the 

 rivers are free from wide bottoms, and the land as a whole 

 stands well above the sea. The great swamp known as the 

 Zapata occupies an area of about six hundred square miles 

 on the southern coast, opposite Matanzas and Havana, 

 bordering the shore for about sixty miles between the Broa 

 and Cochinos inlets. It stands nearly at sea-level, but 

 although almost a dead flat, it presents a great diversity of 

 aspects. In some places the stagnant waters are dammed 

 up by sandy strips along the coast ; in others the surface 

 is concealed by dense mangrove thickets ; elsewhere chan- 

 nels without perceptible currents, the remains of former 

 rivers, wind sluggishly amid the vegetation. Here and 

 there open sheets of water sparkle in the sun, while others 

 disappear beneath vast areas covered by the wide leaves of 

 water-lilies. In places the ground is firm enough to sup- 

 port a clump of trees, but most of the surface consists of 

 quagmires, or boggy expansions, inaccessible to man or 

 beast. 



There are many minor features in the physical geog- 

 raphy of Cuba which cannot be here described in detail. 

 The caverns are especially beautiful. The largest of these 

 underlie the cuchillas of the east, but have never been 

 systematically explored or described. 



The cave of Bellemar, about two and one half miles 

 east of Matanzas, is one of the sights of the island. It is 

 reached by a pleasant drive along the seaside and through 

 pretty suburbs. The entrance is situated upon the top of 

 the coastal plateau and has a handsome building. This 

 cave is open for three miles and is known to extend down 

 five hundred feet in the white limestone. It differs from 



