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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



long rainy season, from May to Novem- 

 ber, and an equal dry season from 

 December to April. 



These open Llanos have been every- 

 where long grazed by cattle, and their 

 character changed, at least through 

 central Bolivar, by the widespread 

 introduction of the drought-resistant 

 Guinea and Para grasses. The brush- 

 covered areas and those of deciduous 

 forest remain nearly unchanged from 

 their primitive state. 



Corozal and Sincelejo, towns reached 

 by trail westward from Magangue, 

 are in the center of the Llano of Bolivar, 

 but it is doubtful if any remnant of 

 natural prairie can be found near them. 

 The brush hills of northern Bolivar 

 may be studied at Turbaco and Arenal 

 on the railroad from Cartagena to 

 Calamar on the Rio Magdalena. The 

 deciduous forest may be visited west of 

 Sincelejo and near Lorica and Monteria, 

 towns on the Rio Sinu reached by steam- 

 boat from Cartagena. 



2. Goajira Peninsula. The northern- 

 most prolongation of Colombia is 

 mostly a low arid sandy land, but 

 includes also in the heart of the penin- 

 sula proper a considerable district of low 

 hills. It is mostly a land of coarse 

 grasses, brushy scrub and Cactaceae, 

 in aridity exceeding any other part of 

 Colombia. The extensive prairies are 

 said to be covered chiefly with the thin 

 grass, Aristida, and the occasional 

 marshy areas with the sensitive plant, 

 Mimosa, while conspicuous along water- 

 courses is the Anacardium (caracoli). 



"The mammals are similar to those 

 of the Caribbean llanos. A small 

 black-naped rabbit (Sylvilagus nigro- 

 nuchalis) is peculiar to this and the 

 adjoining region in Venezuela." 



The rainfall of the Goajira Peninsula 

 is seasonal as on the Llanos of Bolivar 

 and Upar but is much less in quantity, 

 the rains occurring only from May to 

 October. 



Some guinea grass has become nat- 

 uralized in a few areas, but otherwise 

 this land, occupied only by the Goajiro 

 Indians, has scarcely been altered by 

 man. 



The Goajira Peninsula may be reached 

 by Indian trails from Rio Hacha, a 

 port along the Caribbean coast east of 

 Santa Marta. 



8. Llanos of Casanare and San Martin. 

 This region includes the northern por- 

 tion of the great eastern lowland of 

 Colombia, from the Rio Guaviare north- 

 ward and therefore including nearly all 

 the Orinoco drainage-area. This area 

 may be again divided into a portion 

 north of the Rio Meta forming the true 

 Llanos of Casanare, flat and grass- 

 covered everywhere excepting along 

 some streams, and a portion between 

 the Meta and the Guaviare forming the 

 Llanos of San Martin, slightly rolling 

 and hilly and bearing grassland inter- 

 spersed with palm-groves and forest. 

 The latter llanos are transitional to 

 the forests of Caqueta, and, inasmuch 

 as they have few distinctive features, 

 will not be further described. 



The Llanos of Casanare are the great 

 "Llanos" or prairies of Colombia. 

 They are clothed with a variety of 

 grasses, the leading place being generally 

 held by species of Andropogon, or in 

 moister spots by Paspalum, Panicum 

 and other genera. Among the grasses 

 is found a rich flora of herbs of many 

 families. Some of these belong to 

 genera which in comparable environ- 

 ments have penetrated into the Tem- 

 perate Zone and are familiar in the 

 Coastal Plain of the southeastern 

 United States. Of such may be men- 

 tioned pink-flowered species of Polygala 

 and Meibomia, violet Bradburya, yellow 

 and pink Utricularia, and sedges of the 

 familiar genera Rynchospora and Scleria. 

 Wholly tropical genera of plants are 

 represented by yellow-flowered and 

 pink-flpwered Malvaceae and Melasto- 

 maceae, various small-flowered bluish 

 or white Menthaceae and Scrophula- 

 riaceae, yellow Turneraceae, etc. This 

 little-known prairie flora becomes 

 parched and largely disappears soon 

 after the conclusion of the rainy 

 season. 



Along river-courses grow characteris- 

 tic palms and occur clumps of shrubs 

 and trees. Along the larger rivers are 



