NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



689 



that plain are the extensive marshes of 

 Bibanasi and Majagiiillar, and on its 

 southern the largest swamp of Cuba, 

 the Ci^naga de Zapata, covering the 

 southern part of Matanzas province, 

 and extending from the Gulf of Bataban6 

 eastwards nearly to the important town 

 of Cienfuegos. 



The original vegetation north of 

 Cienaga de Zapata and south of the 

 northern swamps has nearly disap- 

 peared; among the remnants, are found 

 Pithecolobhim discolor, Pisonia rotun- 

 data; in the savannas are Guettarda 

 elliptica, Melanthera angustifolia, Tabe- 

 buia lepidota, Williamia discolor, Guet- 

 tarda calyptrata, Arundinella deppeana. 

 In the swamps, are found several Aster, 

 several Hyptis, Solidago stricia; and to 

 the south: Lysiloma bahamensis, Pithe- 

 colobium tortum, Davilla rugosa, Rheedia 

 brevipes, Banisteriopsis pauciflora, and 

 in places patches of the "Palma Corojo" 

 {Acrocomia crispa). 



The Zapata swamps, south of this 

 region, are the home of the Crocodiles, 

 although they are found, in less abun- 

 dance, in many of the other swamps of 

 the Island. There are two species in 

 Cuba: the most valiant, commonly 

 named "Cocodrilo" {Crocodilus rhombi- 

 fer), lives in sweet waters, especially 

 in the Zapata swamps; the largest of 

 them, nearly 20 ft. long, are in Laguna 

 del Tesoro, the deepest lake of Cuba, 

 in the same Zapata region. The other 

 (Crocodilus americanus), wrongly named 

 "Caiman," lives usually in brackish 

 waters and is more timid, though it 

 attains, like the other species, a length 

 of 15 to 20 ft. It is so little feared, that 

 sometimes people are bathing where 

 several of them are roaming. 



Zapata is the region of Cuba where 

 the greatest variety of birds may be 

 observed: the "Pato aliverde" [Netion 

 carolinensis) ; the "Sanjuanera" (Ze- 

 naida amabilis); Grus canadensis, Ardea 

 herodias, Audubonia occidentalis, Nyc- 

 tiardea gardeni, Platalea aja, Tantalus 

 loculator; a number of Pigeons, as 

 Chloroenas inornata; Patagioenas leuco- 



cephala; other species of the genera 

 Starnoenas, Geotrygon, Chamaepelia, 

 Melopelia, Perissura, Ectopistes, are in 

 the Island. The Flamingo is becoming 

 rare. As to the beautiful "Guacamayo 

 de Cuba" (Ara tricolor), not rare in 

 Zapata in former times, it has surely 

 disappeared. Many species of ducks 

 are also common in those swamps, but 

 hunting in that wet region is not very 

 agreeable, on account of the swarming 

 mosquitoes. 



The Zapata swamps are covered with 

 a mostly herbaceous vegetation, as 

 Typha angustifolia, Mariscus jamaicen- 

 sis and many other sedges, with a 

 patch of Mangrove trees here and there. 

 The vegetation of Zapata peninsula, 

 farther to the south, is a mixture of 

 Mangrove and other forests with many 

 different trees, as "Almdcigo" [Elaphri- 

 um simaruba) , Trema lamarckianum, 

 Krugiodendron ferreum, Fraxinus cu- 

 bensis, Bauhinia divaricata, Colubrina 

 asiatica, Alvaradoa amorphoides, etc., 

 growing on a jaggy limestone with 

 many sinkholes. In these woods, an 

 interesting rodent, Capromys nana, 

 has been discovered in the recent years; 

 it is much smaller than the other 

 "Jutias" (C. poeyi and C. fournieri), 

 common in the Island; this last species 

 is so easily tamed, that sometimes it 

 is in liberty in the houses as a pet. Near 

 Bahia de Cochinos, are several Indian 

 mounds. This peculiar region is easily 

 reached through the branch connecting 

 Jovellanos with Jaguey Grande, where 

 are hotels, and from there to Bahia de 

 Cochinos through the Australia Sugar 

 Mill Railroad. 



Las Villas 



Behind the northern Mangrove 

 swamps or wet savannas of this region, 

 are two chains of limestone mountains ; 

 West of Sagua la Grande, the Sierra 

 Morena-Jumagua group of low, rather 

 dry hills, some of them steep, and with 

 a little disturbed vegetation, as that of 

 the Mogotes of Sagua much alike that of 

 Havana coastal limestone hills: Banis- 

 ieria laurifolia, Hybanthus havanensis, 



