604 



NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



but certain other xerophytic plants are 

 abundant. 



The country is rather well supplied 

 with streams, especially in the depart- 

 ments of Ahuachap^an and Sonsonate, 

 and hot springs are found almost every- 

 where. There are numerous lakes, sev- 

 eral of them of large size. That of 

 Maquigiie, near La Uni(3n, possesses a 

 remarkably rich aquatic flora and prob- 

 ably an equally varied fauna. 



Nothing is known definitely concern- 

 ing the animals of Salvador, and no 

 group of them has been thoroughly 

 studied. In spite of the dense popula- 

 tion there still persist some of the larger 

 animals such as deer and jaguars, and 

 birds are plentiful, although there do 

 not seem to be as many aquatic birds 

 along the coast as there are in some 

 parts of Mexico, for instance. 



About 2000 species of plants are known 

 from Salvador at the present time, 

 but the number actually occurring there 

 is doubtless at least 50% greater. The 

 flora is similar to that of western Guate- 

 mala and closely related to that of the 

 Pacific slope of Mexico, particularly in 

 the State of Oaxaca. It is also very 

 like that of Pacific Nicaragua and of the 

 Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. The 

 flora of western Honduras, however, 

 is decidedly different, at least in its 

 greater part, because of the much 

 greater elevation of the latter 

 country. 



Salvador is better provided with trans- 

 portation facilities than any other part 

 of Central America, and for that reason 

 it is scarcely necessary to mention 

 special routes. Two railroad lines reach 

 from one end to the other, and there are 

 good cart roads to all portions of the 

 country, most of them practicable for 

 automobiles. The higher mountains 

 must be reached by short trips with 

 mules. The Sierra de Apaneca is easily 

 reached thus from Sonsonate, Santa 

 Ana, or Ahuachapd,n. Provided with 

 letters of introduction, it is easy to 

 obtain lodging at many of the fincas in 

 the high mountains. 



6. NICARAGUAi 



By Ludlow Griscom 



i. general features 



Nicaragua is bounded on the north 

 by the republic of Honduras, on the 

 south by the republic of Costa Rica, 

 on the west by the Pacific and on the 

 east by the Caribbean Sea. The north- 

 ern and southern boundaries are in 

 dispute, but the Rio Coco or Wanx 

 and the Rio San Juan respectively 

 locate these boundaries in any ordinary 

 atlas. The outstanding physiographic 

 features are Lake Nicaragua and Lake 

 Granada, occupying the southern cen- 

 tral third of the country. West of these 

 great lakes a relatively level plain 

 stretches to the Pacific. Through this 

 plain from north to south runs a chain 

 of isolated conical volcanoes, three of 

 them now active, rising with great 

 abruptness. Destructive eruptions and 

 earthquakes have frequently occurred, 

 but it is this plain which is the settled 

 part of the country, and the seat of the 

 Indian civilization which the Spanish 

 Conquest destroyed. Just east of these 

 great lakes rise the central highlands. 

 These practically disappear southward; 

 but rise steadily as we proceed north- 

 ward and spread out both to the east 

 and the west, until just south of the 

 Honduras boundary these highlands 

 occupy more than half the width of the 

 country. The maximum altitude is 

 approximately 5500 ft. No definite 

 orographic system exists, the country 

 is exceedingly broken and rugged, and 

 travel is rendered very difficult and 

 tedious. From the east slope of these 

 mountains to the Caribbean stretches a 

 tremendous unbroken rain forest which 

 is practically unexplored and unin- 

 habited, with a very unhealthy climate. 

 Small areas of open savannah are re- 

 ported in the extreme northeastern 

 section. Their existence requires con- 

 firmation. 



1 As this country has been but very slightly ex- 

 plored from the naturalist's point of view, this ac- 

 count is very general, and great detail is impossible. 

 No ecological literature exists. 



