AMPiiii;iAi\s Axu Reptiles oe Santa Marta 31 



Ccrros de Caracas. A broad, well-defined mountain range of the Sierra 

 Nevada proper, beginning just below San Miguel, at the Rio Macotama, 

 at an altitude of about 5,000 feet, and rising abruptly to about 8,000 feet, 

 then gradually to about 13,000 feet, where it ends in a jumble of jagged, 

 naked pinnacles of rock, which form a barrier to further ascent to the 

 snow-capped peaks above. The whole of the eastern end and southeastern 

 flank has been denuded of forest, but the northwest side is steeper and for- 

 ested to the crest. 



Chinchicua, Valley of. A locality given by Simons as having an alti- 

 tude of 6,500 feet, and situated on the south slopes of the Nevada a short 

 distance below San Sebastian. 



Chinchiciia, Pass of. Pass at head of valley of same name, having an 

 altitude of 11,000 feet. Locality used by Simons. 



Chirua. The name of a large valley and the small stream which drains 

 it. Situated on the northeast slopes of the Nevada, at an altitude of from 

 2,000 to 5,000 feet, and empties into the Rio Ancha at Pueblo Viejo. The 

 valley is nearly enclosed by mountains rising on the south side to about 

 5,000 feet, known as the Heights of Chirua. The valley is sparsely inhab- 

 ited by Indians, and nearly the whole of the lower portion has been de- 

 forested in years gone by, and is now covered either with grass, low scrub, 

 (»r cultivations of the Indians. 



Chirua, Heiglvfs of. The mountain ridge lying on the southwestern side 

 of the valley of Chirua, with an elevation of about 5,000 feet. 



Chirnqna, Paramo dc. The immense paramo lying on the crest of the 

 Nevada to the south of the upper Macotama River and to the east of the 

 snow peaks, with an altitude of from 11,000 to 15,000 feet. This is doubt- 

 less the paramo de "Curigua" of Sievers. The name Chiruqua was used 

 by Brown, and I followed his nomenclature without taking the precaution 

 to verify it, so that I do not know which name is the correct one. Lake 

 Macotama, mentioned elsewhere in this report, lies at the northwest end of 

 this paramo, at 15,000 feet elevation. This paramo may be reached either 

 from Pueblo Viejo on the north slope or from San Jose on the south slope. 

 It is easier of approach from the north side, where a good Indian trail leads 

 from Pueblo Viejo over to the Macotama River, thence up that stream 

 through Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Taquina, Macotama, and on up to the 

 paramo. This trail is passable for oxen or a good mule, and the paramo 

 may be reached from Pueblo Viejo in two days. 



Cicnega (formerly known also as San Juan de Cordoba). A city of 

 between 15,000 and 20,000 inhabitants, twenty miles by rail from Santa 

 Marta, and situated on the sea coast, just at the northeastern corner of 

 Cienega Grande, the great brackish lake lying between the Sierra Nevada 

 and the Magdalena River. 



Cincinnati. A large cofifee plantation lying on the western slopes of 

 Mount San Lorenzo, between 3,000 and 5,500 feet. This plantation was 

 known as Valparaiso at the time Smith and Brown collected here. It is a 



