Amphidians axd Reptiles of Santa jMarta 



37 



ninety miles from Santa Marta to the east, and the metropoHs of the Goajira 

 Peninsula. It lies about a mile to the west of the Rio Rancheria (or Calan- 

 cala, as it is called here), which river is the dividing line between the 

 Departamento de Magdalena and the Territory of the Goajira. It is reached 

 only by sea from Santa Marta, the trail by land being impossible of con- 

 sideration. The sole means of transit are small schooners, which leave 

 much to be desired in the way of accommodations, and to persons who are 

 poor sailors this trip is a veritable torment in the windy season. The vege- 

 tation of the surrounding country is a low, thorny scrub, containing many 

 acacia-like forms and an abundance of cacti of various species. It is exceed- 

 ingly dry for the greater part of the year and the heat is terrific. However, 

 from the standpoint of the naturalist it is an exceedingly interesting region, 

 introducing as it does a fauna quite distinct from that of anv other part of 

 the region under discussion. 



San Antonio. This is the old Indian village, now non-existent, which 

 lay about three miles to the south of the present village of Pueblo Viejo 

 (the first mentioned in this list). It was destroyed by the government sol- 

 diers in the late Colombian revolution because some of the Indians had 

 been persuaded to take up arms with the revolutionists. Its inhabitants 

 were scattered among the Indian hamlets higher up in the Sierras. 



San Juan dc Cesar. One of the most flourishing towns of the valley, 

 lying to the south of the Sierra Nevada and situated on the river of the 

 same name (Rio Cesar). It is about a half day's journey to the southwest 

 of Fonseca and in the same arid belt of thorny scrub as the latter place. 

 From here the road branches, one branch passing by way of Villanueva and 

 the other by way of Badilla, but uniting again at Valle de Upar. 



San Francisco. A small Indian hamlet in the valley of the Rio Ancha 

 about six miles above Pueblo Viejo (on the north slope of the Sierras). 

 The mountain slopes on both sides of the valley are bare of forest, especially 

 on the right-hand side (ascending), where the slopes are very precipitous 

 and rocky. On the left-hand side the higher slopes are still wooded for a 

 considerable distance. Visited by Mr. Brown and the writer. 



San Jose. An Indian village on the south slope of the Sierras, on the 

 trail between Atanquez and the Chiruqua Pass. According to Simons, the 

 only collector who has visited it, it has an altitude of 5,000 feet. 



San Lorenzo. A huge, isolated mountain peak lying to the northwest 

 of the main Sierra Nevada, but connected with it by a ridge having a min- 

 imum elevation of about 5,000 feet. The whole mountain down to the foot- 

 hills is densely forested, except where it has been cleared for purposes of 

 cultivation. This forest is heavier and more humid on the east and south 

 •■lopes. The crest of the mountain is in the form of a sharp ridge running 

 nearly east and west for a length of six to eight miles. The western end, 

 known as the Cerro Quemado, has been largely deforested by fire during 

 the last twenty years, and has an elevation of about 8,000 feet. The remain- 

 der of the crest is forested to the very top, while the eastern end attains 

 an elevation of a little over 9,000 feet. All the collecting done by Mr. 



