NATURAL AREAS Ar: RrGT XS 



697 



Invertebrates. A large fauna; insect 

 pests not numerous; spectacular forms 

 such as tarantulas, whip scorpions 

 and gaudy land Crustacea and molluscs 

 are frequently found. 



II. NATURAL AREAS 



There is very little "virgin country" 

 left in Hispaniola. The Haitians have 

 destroyed practically all of their natural 

 areas, while most of Santo Domingo, 

 except the dense forests, wet valleys, 

 gullies and hilltops, have been burnt 

 over at one time or another. It is very 

 discouraging to the naturalist to roam 

 over the wonderful central Cordillera 

 of the island and to never pass a day 

 without meeting a forest fire. The 

 arrieros make a point of burning these 

 fine forests of the interior in order to 

 make pasture lands they say, but it is 

 really for the fun of seeing the forests 

 burn. 



Virgin areas 



As a result of these fires the onlj' areas 

 which retain more or less of their original 

 biota are the rain forests, the wet moun- 

 tain gullies and the inaccessible deserts. 

 The following wet regions would deserve 

 special study. (1) The Quita Espuela 

 range in the north; (2) the gullies on 

 the north side of the central Cordillera 

 from Paso Bajito north to Jarabacoa; 

 (3j the rain forests of the Samana penin- 

 sula; (4) the northeastern parts of 

 Seibo Province; (5) the southern Baho- 

 ruco range (near Paradis) and (6) certain 

 parts of the southern peninsula of 

 Haiti. Certain deserts would be of 

 interest to the botanist. The largest 

 desert stretches from just east of Du- 

 vergc, north and west to Monte Cristi. 



Travel routes 



Travel in Hispaniola is now an easy 

 matter. The Clyde Steamship Com- 

 pany runs the most regular steamship 

 service to the island. At Monte Cristi, 

 the first point of call, one may dis- 

 embark and hire an auto to take one to 

 most any of the larger towns on the 



island. '' iiio is not the least expensive 

 way to travel. The naturalist will 

 probably prefer hiring two mules and a 

 guide (the whole for about five dollars 

 a day) and striking off from the beaten 

 trail. If one is burdened with much 

 baggage, the Clj'^de boat will take it to 

 any of the seaports of Santo Domingo. 

 At Sanchez a Scotch railroad runs west 

 to La Vega. One may transfer to San 

 Francisco de Macoris if one intends to 

 investigate the northern mountains. 

 This northern range may also be entered 

 at Puerto Plata where a government 

 railroad running to Santiago has its 

 terminal. Since the United States Ma- 

 rines have entered the island one travels 

 usually by auto from town to town, 

 and then employs mules for ascending 

 the more difficult trails. Travel in 

 the island should not average more 

 than ten dollars a day per person. 

 Lastly, it may be added that the island 

 is now practically free from bandits. 

 N'avassa Island, West Indies. Belongs 

 to the United States, which maintains 

 a lighthouse. Reached from Guanta- 

 nomo, Cuba, by lighthouse tender. 

 Extremely arid conditions prevail, but 

 an unusually rich fauna for the size 

 of the island is preserved. A genus 

 of lizards, Chamaelinorops, is confined 

 to it. K. P. Schmidt. 



in. LITERATURE 



A traveler in Hispaniola should fa- 

 miliarize himself with such authoritative 

 accounts as Vaughan, Cooke, Condit, 

 Ross, Woodring and Calkins on "A 

 Geological Reconnaissance of the Domin- 

 ican Republic," 1921 (Washington). 

 There is only one map that approaches 

 accuracy. This is a French map (1908, 

 by A. Poujol and H. Thommasset), 

 handled by C. S. Hammond & Co., 

 New York. The United States Marine 

 Corps have been engaged for some time 

 in a survey of the island, and it will 

 not be long before an accurate map will 

 be available. No ecological account 

 of the island has been published. The 

 various handbooks which have appeared 

 are of little use. 



