642 



NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



ous is the wealth of Orchids, either 

 epiphytes or terrestrial. 



Fauna (H. B. B.}. A fairly constant 

 characteristic of this type of forest is 

 the poor development of leaf humus, 

 which is correlated with the scarcity of 

 ground forms. However, Happia guild- 

 ingi and mediocris were found in the 

 Cumbres, while Rectartemon jessei, Dre- 

 panostomella ammonoceras and H . medio- 

 cris were quite characteristic in Estado 

 Tachira. The tree snails are more 

 prevalent; Auris euryomphalus and 

 sinuatus appear quite characteristic. 

 The comadreja and huron (Galera bar- 

 bata and Galictis allamandi) were mainly 

 seen here although they occur at lower 

 levels. In the Sierra de Merida, a 

 kinkajou (Potos flavus meridensis) and 

 a squirrel (Sciurus griseogena meriden- 

 sis} have been described from an alti- 

 tude of 2500 meters. 



b. Arid deciduous forest 



This type of forest covers about two- 

 thirds of the area of Venezuela. It 

 includes a large number of deciduous 

 trees, which assume during the dry 

 season a bare, arid appearance which 

 would place them among the xerophil- 

 ous formations but for the fact that 

 during the rainy season they are green 

 and luxuriant. These trophophilous 

 forests, however, distinguish themselves 

 from the thorn forest by the relative 

 scarcity of armed trees and ground cacti, 

 the increased frequency of vines and the 

 larger proportions of the trees. From 

 the rain forest, they differ in the great 

 number of deciduous species, and, 

 generally, in the lessened vigor of the 

 vegetation. Also, the underbrush is 

 thinner, so that, but for the districts 

 where square miles of the ground are 

 covered with spiny bromeliads, circula- 

 tion is everywhere easy. 



Specifically, the tree flora of the arid 

 deciduous forest is exceedingly rich. 

 There are no really pure stands and 

 almost each individual tree is distinct 

 from its neighbors. The composition 

 of the forest also suffers marked changes 

 passing from the eastern to the western 



part of the country, and, of course, 

 in the ascent from the lower to upper 

 levels. In the eastern part, it is char- 

 acterized mainly by several species of 

 Coumarouna (C. odorata, C. nudipes, 

 etc.) which produce the tonka-beans 

 known in commerce, by rubber-trees, 

 belonging to Hevea and Micrandra 

 (Hevea benthamiana, minor, rigidifolia, 

 M. heterophylla) , by several balata and 

 chicle yielding Sapotaceae (Achras, 

 Mimusops, Sideroxylon) , the well-known 

 Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil-nut tree), 

 Cusparia trifoliata, from the bark of 

 which the Angostura-Bitter is extracted, 

 and many others. Further west, in the 

 states of Carabobo and Yaracuy, the 

 more conspicuous trees are Hura crepi- 

 tans, found in places closely resembling 

 pure stands, several species of Bomba- 

 copsis. Swietenia Candollei (Venezuelan 

 Mahogany), Cedrela mexicana, Cordia 

 alliiodora Toluifera Balsamum, etc. 

 Last but not least, the region sur- 

 rounding Lake Maracaibo is well known 

 for its wealth in majestic timber-trees, 

 among which it will suffice to name 

 Bulnesia arborea (spurious Lignum 

 Vitae), several species of Tabebuia 

 (T. serratifolia, chrysea, etc.), a Centro- 

 lobium probably distinct from the C. 

 paraense of the central part of the 

 country, Helietta Pleeana, Copaifera 

 Langsdorffii, several Vitex (V. cymosa, 

 V. berteroana], the coffee-wood or brown 

 ebony (Caesalpinia Granadillo}, etc. 

 In all these forests are numerous species 

 of palms belonging to Attalea, Oreodoxa, 

 Thrinax, Copernicia, Mauritia and 

 Oenocarpus. 



To the monsoon formation we may also 

 join the strips of forest which accom- 

 pany the rivers of the Llano (Gallerie- 

 Wald of Sievers, 1. c.). They are singled 

 out by the presence of such trees as 

 Copaifera officinalis, Protium heptaphyl- 

 lum, Hymenaea Courbaril, Andira iner- 

 mis and a few others. 



Fauna (H. B. B.}. In main the ter- 

 restrial species of molluscs increase 

 in numbers at the transition between the 

 rain forest and the monsoon forest, 

 although they decrease greatly in the 



