NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



687 



sonius, Falco doming ensis), the owl 

 (Glaucidnim siju) ; the "Mariposa" {Pas- 

 serina cyris); the "Zorzal real" {Mimo- 

 cichla rubripes); the "Toti" {Dives 

 atroviolaceus). The "Tocororo" {Priote- 

 lus temnurus) is found in all the Island 

 and may be approached easily; the 

 same may be said of the "Arriero" 

 (Saurothera mcrlini). The "Bobito" 

 (Blacicus caribaeus); the "Zunzun" 

 (Riccordia riccordii); the "Pedorrera" 

 {Todus multicolor), the "Jiidio" (Croto- 

 phagaani), the "Chinchinguaco" (Chal- 

 cophanes gundlachii), the "Sinsonte" 

 (Mimus polyglottus) , the well known 

 singing bird, are all very common. In 

 the caves which abound in these lime- 

 stone sierras, are living several species 

 of bats; more than twenty species are 

 found in Cuba. On the shaded rocks, a 

 big inoffensive milliped named "Alan- 

 caperro" is so common that one can 

 not avoid crushing a number of them. 

 A great variety of snails may also be 

 collected on these limestone hills. The 

 highest altitude of this Habana-Ma- 

 tanzas range is attained on Pan de 

 Matanzas, about 1300 ft. high; the hills 

 of Havana province reach hardly 1000 ft. 



The flora of the coral reef east of 

 Havana is strongly xerophil, and among 

 the shrubby vegetation of "Guao" 

 (Comocladia platyphijlla) , "Guao de 

 costa" {Metopium toxijerum), "Man- 

 zanillo" {Hippomane mancinella), 

 "Yamaquey" ( Belairia spinosa) , Pisonia 

 aculeata, Ateleia cubensis, etc., are grow- 

 ing the characteristic Agave legrelliana, 

 A. furcroides and at least half a dozen 

 species of Cacti, as the tall Cephalocereus 

 bakeri, Dendrocereus nudiflorus, Lep- 

 tocereus assurgens, etc. There also is 

 found the very rare and long lost 

 Annona cascarilloides. 



The plain of Habana-Matanzas is 

 different from that of Pinar del Rio, 

 not sandy and much more modified by 

 the planting of Sugar cane and other 

 economic plants. The "Palma cana" 

 is less abundant and replaced by the 

 "Palma Real" (Roystonea regia), the 

 most abundant palm of Cuba; the huge 



Ceiba pentandra is also seen in many 

 places. As the soil of this plain, out 

 of the serpentinous "Cuabales," is 

 formed chiefly by the decomposition 

 of the limestone sierras, its flora, pre- 

 served only in a few places not under 

 cultivation, is partly that of the hills 

 and partly that of the coastal reef, 

 whose chief elements are actually: 

 Eugenia buxi folia, E. axillaris, Ateleia 

 cubensis, Espadaea amaena, Hebestigma 

 cubense, Picramnia pentandra, Dipholis 

 salicifolia, Momisia iguanea, Duranta 

 repens; the so common and appreciated 

 hardwood "Yaiti" {Gymnanthes lucida), 

 Cupania glabra, Hybanthus havanensis; 

 the fragrant Guettarda calyptrata, G. 

 combsii, G. elliptica, Zanthoxylumfagara, 

 Z. toedosium, Schoepfia chrysophylloides, 

 H elicteres jamaicensis and H. semitriloba, 

 Comocladia dentata and C. platyphylla, 

 Erithalis fruticosa, Icthyomethia hava- 

 nensis, Maba crassinervis, the large 

 drooping flowered Catesbaea spinosa; 

 Colubrina ferruginea and C. cubensis, 

 Exostemma caribaeum, the noxious Mal- 

 pighia cubensis, Citharexylum caudatum 

 and C. fruticosum, Casearia sylvestris 

 and C. hirsuta, Opuntia dillenii, Acrosti- 

 chum excelsum, Hibiscus cryptocarpus 

 and H. spiralis; the ornamental Malva- 

 viscus sagraeanus and Rondeletia odoraia 

 are common. Among the most abundant 

 vines are Chiococca alba, and the showy 

 flowered Bauhinia heterophylla and Big- 

 nonia sagraeana. In the swamps, Mala- 

 che scabra and Typha angustifolia. On 

 the northern sea shore are Suriana 

 mariiima, Borrichia arborescens, Mallo- 

 tonia gnaphalodes, Rachicallis maritima, 

 Iva cheiranthifolia and I. imbricata, 

 while on the wet south coast are rather 

 seen, in fields of Distichlis spicata, a 

 number of Aster, Crinum americanum, 

 Pluchea foetida, P. purpurascens, 

 Samolus ebracteatus, Acrostichum aitr- 

 eum, Agalinis spiciflora, Mariscus 

 jamaicensis and in places Casuarina 

 equisetifolia naturalized. The Man- 

 grove trees are, of course, the most 

 common on the south coast. 

 Many birds may be collected on the 



