38 Alkxandkr G. Rutiivkn 



Smith here was on the western slopes of the Cerro Quemado up to perhaps 

 7,000 feet, which would account for his failure to secure quite a numl3€r 

 of species found near the top. The ve.c^etation of this mountain has been 

 described elsewhere. The summit is reached by trails running up from the 

 haciendas Cincinnati and Vista Nieve. 



San Miguel. The largest village and the headquarters today of the 

 Arahuaco Indians of the north slopes of the Sierras. It is situated on the 

 right-hand side of the Macotama River (ascending), at an altitude of 5,500 

 feet, on a small, bench-like plateau jutting out from the mountain side 

 about 200 feet above the river. The mountain rises abruptly behind it to 

 the west to an elevation of not less than 9,000 feet, and is entirely bare of 

 woodland. Opposite the village, on the other side of the river, is a much 

 more extensive bench. Here the Indians have many small farms of vege- 

 tables and sugar cane, while the other side of the valley is devoted to 

 grazing purposes entirely. The mountain slope also rises very abruptly 

 from the bench land on the east side, and is wooded up to near the crest, 

 which is overgrown with shrubber}^ and huge bromelias. J\Ir. Brown made 

 San Miguel his headquarters for some time, as did also the writer. 



San Sebastian. A village, largely of Indians, on the south slopes of the 

 Sierra, at an altitude of 6,700 feet (according to Dr. Allen). It is mention- 

 ed by both Brown and Simons. It is in a region composed largely ot 

 savannas. 



Santa Cruz. A tiny Indian hamlet on the cast bank of the Rio Maco- 

 tama, between Pueblo Viejo and San Miguel, with an altitude of 3,000 feet. 

 Dr. Allen gives the altitude as 8,000 feet, an obvious error. 



Santa Marta. A city of about 10,000 inhabitants and the capital of the 

 Departmento de Magdalena, possessing one of the finest harbors on the 

 Colombian coast. The immediate vicinity is a semi-arid region, of little 

 rainfall, where irrigation is the only possible means of agriculture. The 

 natural vegetation consists of thorny scrub and cacti, except along the banks 

 of the Rio Manzanares, where a more luxuriant flora finds a footing. A 

 flat plain extends eastward from the town for about five miles, a consider- 

 able portion of which is poorly irrigated and mainly devoted to pasture land. 

 To the north of this plain are rugged hills extending down the coast to the 

 east as far as the Rio Piedras, while to the south are the foothills of San 

 Lorenzo. One of the oldest towns in Colombia, established early in the 

 sixteenth century. 



Sierra Nevada. Evidently many of Simons' labels bear the locality 

 name of "Sierra Nevada," with the altitude. Such localities must of 

 necessity be on the south slopes of the Sierras, since he did little work on the 

 side near Santa Marta, and none on the north sIoidcs. On some of the 

 writer's labels this designation is also used, together with the altitude, for 

 the region immediately to the southeast of San Lorenzo, where work was 

 done from 5,000 to 8,000 feet. 



Taganga (misspelled "Tayanga" by Dr. Allen). A small fishing village 



