NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



685 



be made into natural reserves, as, for 

 instance, in Rangel region, including 

 the scenic ravine of Santa Cruz river. 



The triassic (?) hills to the north and 

 south of this central range are barren 

 pine lands with a low grass vegetation on 

 their tops but with an interesting vege- 

 tation along the brooks: Xiphidium 

 xanthorrizon, Pieris cubensis, Xolisma 

 myrtilloides , Clusia menor, Hypericum 

 styphelioides, Alsophila myosuroides, 

 Blechnum serrulatum, and the lovely 

 Lycopodium cernuum] here and there are 

 groves of Quercus virginiana, and in 

 some places the ornamental Befaria 

 cubensis and Purdiaea cubensis are 

 common. 



The northern part of Pinar del Rio 

 can be reached easily, either from Guane, 

 the terminus station of the Western 

 Railroad, or from Pinar del Rio City 

 by motor car, through El Sumidero or 

 through Vifiales; from Paso Real and 

 San Diego de los Banos, where are 

 famous sulphur baths, and also by the 

 North Coast Steamship Service from 

 Havana. In San Diego de los Banos 

 is found one of the most beautiful birds 

 of Cuba, the "Aparecido de San Diego," 

 (Abelorhina cyanea) ; Gundlach found 

 it also in Zapata, in Matanzas province 

 and in Oriente. 



North of the mountain axis is the 

 narrow north coast area. Bordering 

 on the mangrove, is an interesting 

 shrubby or low forest vegetation, with 

 sometimes very rare plants as Phyl- 

 lacantha Grisebachiana and Maytenus 

 lineatus, rediscovered recently by Dr. 

 Ekman. 



The largest part of Pinar del Rio is a 

 plain extending from the base of the 

 mountains to the south coast. Its 

 extreme southwestern end, the Guana- 

 hacabibes, usually named Cabo San 

 Antonio peninsula, said to be about 

 80 mi. long, between Cape Frances 

 and Cape San Antonio, is a coral reef 

 with mangrove swamps on its northern 

 shore, and behind, thickets or low woods, 

 up to the southern high and vertical 

 rocky shore. Between this forest and 



Guane to the north, is a very peculiar 

 region with many lagoons of clear 

 water; between them are pine groves 

 and barren savannas with patches 

 of white silicious sand rich in rare and 

 endemic herbs: figworts, pipeworts, 

 grasses, sedges, etc. This natural area 

 has been only slightly disturbed by the 

 exploitation of pines. 



The remainder of Pinar del Rio plain, 

 the famous tobacco region of Vuelta 

 Abajo, is formed by sandstone, sandy or 

 swampy savannas and covered either 

 by pine groves or by palms of different 

 species: * Talma barrigona" (Colpothri- 

 nax wrightii), "Guano prieto" (Paurotis 

 wrighlii), and "Palma Cana" (Sabal 

 fl.orida), the most abundant of all. 

 Only very few plants may have dis- 

 appeared as a consequence of the plant- 

 ing of Tobacco; patches of the original 

 vegetation may be found in many places : 

 Tabebuia lepidophylla, Coccolobis colo- 

 mensis, Hyptis shaferi, Vitex divaricata, 

 Tetrazygia bicolor, etc. The chief modi- 

 fication of the savanna region is the 

 extinction of the pines, which, possibly, 

 were growing formerly up to the limit 

 of Havana province. The south coast 

 is, as nearly the entire Carribean sea 

 coast of Cuba, fringed with mangrove 

 swamps two or three mi. in average 

 width. 



The deer found in all the Island, is 

 rather abundant in this Western plain; 

 it was introduced by the Spaniards. 

 Wild hogs, escaped long ago from do- 

 mestication, are common in Pinar del 

 Rio mountains and also in those of 

 Santa Clara and Oriente. A ganoid 

 fish, the "Manjuari" (Lepidosteus tri- 

 stoechus), survival of remote geologic 

 ages, is not rare in the rivers of Southern 

 Pinar del Rio. Near the mouth of 

 these rivers, or near the submarine 

 sources of fresh water lives the "Ma- 

 nati" (Manatus americanus), much more 

 abundant formerly than now. Many 

 interesting birds may be obtained near 

 the lagoons of this plain, as, for in- 

 stance, the following, collected in 

 Artemisa: "Pato morisco" (Marila affi- 



