A Collecting Trip to Colombia 13 



food was good, sleeping on deck at night was pleasant, our traveling com- 

 panions were friendly and agreeable, rjnd the frequent delays cost us nothing 

 as our tickets included meals. Consequently when a sand bar held us for 

 a few hours or a smashed wheel delayed our progress for a day, the calmest 

 philosophy could prevail, at least among the passengers. It would be possible 

 for a collector interested in insects attracted by light to rig his outfit on the 

 upper deck of one of the slower river steamers and to obtain thus on a 

 round trip from Barranquilla to La Dorado, a distance of 198 leagues, a fair 

 representation of the night-flying insects of the whole lower Magdalena. 

 The time required would be about three weeks, and the round trip trans- 

 portation, including meals, was, when we were there, $30 on one line of 

 steamers and $60 on another ; the service was about the same on both. 



We approached Gamarra January 27. The country is flat with moun- 

 tains in the distance. At Gamarra the hills seemed relatively near at hand, 

 but we learned that Aguachica, about twelve miles from Gamarra on the road 

 to Ocana, is in the river plain, and that Pie de la Cuesta, about twenty-four 

 miles from Gamarra, on the same road, is in the hills. Though a small town, 

 Pie de la Cuesta had ample accommodations for travellers. Ocana is about 

 forty-two miles from Gamarra, a journey of a day and a half by saddle horse, 

 costing, with a pack mule, $6 for the trip. It was our intention to go to 

 Ocana on our return down the river but lack of time prevented this. 



The topography above Gamarra is the same as that below the town. 

 The country is flat with mountains in the distance. There were numerous 

 sand bars in the river where we observed many crocodiles. As on preceding 

 days small collections were made at several points where the boat tied up 

 to take on wood. 



Durirrg the afternoon of January 29 we reached Barranca Bermeja 

 and put our baggage ashore. As no hills were in sight, and the country was 

 very dry and unpromising with no small streams, we re-embarked and paid 

 our fare to La Dorado, the end of lower river navigation. 



Above El Banco the forests were larger, the bluffs more frequent, and 

 the cienagas (lagoons) rarer. Below Puerto Berrio the Magdalena cuts 

 through a bluff or ridge fifty to seventy-five feet high. January 30 about 

 seven p. m. we arrived at Puerto Berrio, 163)4 leagues above Barranquilla. 

 On both sides of the town are frequent low hills. Through the kindness 

 of Mr. Lope M. Montoya G., of Medellin, to whom we are indebted for 

 other data, we learned that the elevation of Puerto Berrio is about 130 

 meters. 



Our boat was scheduled to leave Puerto Berrio January 31 at four 

 p. m., so we decided to spend the day collecting and set out at seven-thirty 

 a. m. About three and one-third kilometers from town a small sluggish 

 stream, flowing north, crossed the railroad track. Near the track this stream 

 was in a grass marsh condition, but it soon passed below into a dense over- 

 flow forest of tall trees, spiny palms and lower shrubs and vines, through 

 which we could pick our way with slight difficulty. At this season the wood 

 was moist but there was no standing water. The creek was from four to 



