12 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



Snow often falls as low as 12,000 or 13,000 feet during December 

 and January, and Simons says he has seen it down even to 9,000 feet 

 at this season, but it never remains on the ground more than a day or 

 two under such circumstances. 



Temperature. — The lowlands of the present region, which is about 

 eleven degrees north of the Equator, are one of the hottest regions in 

 South America. In January, which is one of the cooler months at 

 Santa Marta, the temperature usually varies, according to Sievers, 

 from 79 F. at 7 A. M. to 84 F. at 2 P. M.. falling to 81. 5 ° F. at 

 9 P. M. The month of May is said to be the hottest at Santa Marta. 

 At Rio Hacha the average temperature at the end of April and during 

 the second half of May, taken at the same intervals during the day, 

 was respectively 80.5°, 86°, and 84 . In the Rio Cesar Valley some- 

 what higher figures, with greater extremes, prevail, the highest tem- 

 perature recorded being 95 °, which was reached on two occasions. 

 Coming now to localities in the Subtropical Zone, the temperature at 

 Cincinnati (4,500 feet), according to the experience of the junior 

 author, varies through an extreme range of from 59 to 85 °, although 

 the general average is between 62° and 8o°. On the summit of the 

 San Lorenzo (9,300 feet) a minimum during two nights of 46 was 

 observed. It was found that the temperature at Pueblo Viejo (2,000 

 feet), on the north slope of the Sierra Nevada, corresponds very 

 closely to that of Cincinnati, which would account for the general 

 lowering of the Subtropical Zone on that side. Sievers gives the 

 figures for this point, taken from May 6 to 8, as follows: 7 A. M., 

 71. 5 ; 2 P. M., 74 ; 9 P. M., 72. 5 . Figures for the higher altitudes 

 show a considerably greater daily range, as might be expected, but 

 the available data are not so satisfactory. At Aduriameina (11,050 

 feet) the average for five days in February was: 7 A. M., 40 ; 2 P. M., 

 55-5° ! 9 P- M., 46.5 , with an observed minimum of 33 and a maxi- 

 mum of 64.5 °, while there was a difference of 3. 6° between the lee- 

 ward and windward exposures respectively. At the base of the snow- 

 fields the figures were: 7 A. M., 37.5 ; 4 P. M., 50 ; 6 P. M., 39 ; 

 lowest, 33 . In general, the temperature of points on the southern 

 slopes of the Sierra Nevada presents a greater range of variation 

 than those on the northern slopes. 



