176 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL. MUSEUM Vol. 8T 



The mountain slopes above 3,000 feet on the south and above 2,000 feet 

 on the north were covered with a magnificent rain forest that extended 

 over all the higher region. In many places huge trees rose from 

 buttressed roots to heights of 150 feet or more, and everywhere the 

 growth was dense. Tree trunks were wound with climbing figs and 

 other vines, masses of parasitic plants covered their limbs, and from 

 their higher branches long, slender lianas hung like ropes, sometimes 

 extending down for 50 to 75 feet without leaf or branch to break their 

 straight, symmetrical lines. Below these the undergrowth was dense, 

 forming heavy shade. On the mountain slopes a small palm with the 

 trunk set closely with long, black, needle-sharp spines was something 

 to be avoided with care. On the higher pitches were masses of a 

 climbing bamboo. Only along the roadway were there small clearings. 



It rained daily in the afternoon, and for much of each day clouds of 

 mist swept across the mountains so that the undergrowth was always 

 saturated with water. 



Trails in this forest were few, and in general I worked along the 

 ridges in going into the higher levels. One of the best localities for 

 birds lay along an old trail leading along the crest of the ridge to the west 

 from El Portachuelo. Here the air currents were such that there was 

 greater freedom from fog than elsewhere nearby, so that birds seemed 

 to come up the slopes from either side and to congregate along the 

 ridge. This trail ascended to about 3,700 feet elevation. It was not 

 particularly difficult to go to the same altitude or a little higher on the 

 slopes above the house, and on November 8 I climbed up the Cumbre 

 de Rancho Grande to the summit of the lower of the two peaks of this 

 range at 4,500 feet elevation. Above 3,700 feet the land rose less 

 steeply and the undergrowth was more open, so that it was possible to 

 see about. Here I found an old trail, formerly used in crossing the 

 mountain to Ocumare de la Costa, but now abandoned, leading across 

 the ridges. A small, creeping bamboo, also found lower down, at 

 4,000 feet, gave some trouble. I had expected to climb the liigher 

 peak, but by the time I had reached the ridge leading to it the clouds 

 swept over the mountain, so that there was no point in going farther, 

 as there was no view and birds could not be found. 



In the deep shadows of the undergrowth of this forest it was always 

 wet and birds were frequently difficult to see. A number of small 

 species ranged through the forest in little flocks, so that sometimes I 

 would travel for some distance without seeing the flutter of a wing, and 

 then the branches all around would be alive with quickly moving 

 forms of a dozen species of birds. Other kinds were soHtary and 

 ranged in pairs or alone. In worldng here I had always a man with 

 me to retrieve my specimens, and when a bird fell I had to watch 

 carefully until he had laboriously reached the spot, as otherwise the 



