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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



conditions; natural rain forests are 

 now restricted to limited areas at high 

 elevations not very easily accessible. 

 Extensive reforestation is an acute need 

 for water conservation and for firewood 

 and other forest products; it has been 

 commenced in Porto Rico, with good 

 prospects of extension (but not in the 

 Virgin Islands). 



All accessible agricultural areas in 

 Porto Rico, and many that elsewhere 

 would not be considered agricultural, 

 have been exploited to their maximum 

 because of the density of human popula- 

 tion. There are not now and never 

 were any large wild mammals in Porto 

 Rico. Native lizards and bats, the 

 mongoose, intentionally, and rats, acci- 

 dentally introduced, probably constitute 

 nine-tenths of the vertebrate life. The 

 Agouti, armadillo, boa, giant turtle 

 and several lizards are practically 

 extinct. There are no unpolluted 

 streams of any size in Porto Rico, as one 

 or two sugar-mills (Centrals) use water 

 from and drain into each one. The 

 largest unpolluted stream is Rio Gua- 

 jataca near Quebradillas (poor hotels 

 at Camuy and Isabela) with smaller 

 ones near Rio Grande and Mameyes. 

 G. N. W. 



The Rio Blanco, a stream of fair size 

 formed from several rivers draining the 

 greater portion of the south slopes of 

 the Luquillo Mountain Range is unpol- 

 luted except for the few miles of its 

 lower course through the municipality 

 of Naguabo. E. M. Bruner. 



Porto Rico does not offer the oppor- 

 tunity for studying natural areas in the 

 tropics that the comparatively little 

 exploited island of Hispaniola, especially 

 the part which is Santo Domingo, 

 Republica Domonicana, does. G. N. W. 



III. TRAVEL AND AREAS AVAILABLE 

 FOR STUDY 



Porto Rico has a splendid system of 

 motor-car roads, paralleling the coasts 

 and crossing the mountains at several 

 points at elevations from about 2000 

 ft. to about 2800 ft. and there are numer- 

 ous vecinal roads reaching out in all 



directions usually possible to Fords 

 in dry weather. A railroad extends 

 nearly all around the island. N. L. B. 



AVAILABLE AREAS 



Lagoons, Limon or La Plata (B2) 



Of interest because of wild fowl con- 

 gregating there. Considerable bodies of 

 water at times, at others not much 

 more than mud flats. Reached afoot 

 (one or two mi.) from the mentioned 

 R. R. stations, which are merely stations 

 and not towns, or by bus and horseback 

 from Yauco (hotels), or automobiles 

 (through cane roads) from Ensenada. 

 G. N. W. 

 Lagunas, San Jose, Torrecilla, Pinones 



Salt water lakes connecting with San 

 Juan Bay at Martin Pena Bridge in 

 Santurce and also directly with the 

 Ocean at Cangrejos some 8 or 10 mi. 

 east of Santurce. The three lakes are 

 connected by canals and can be navi- 

 gated at all times by small motor boats. 

 They are almost entirely surrounded by 

 mangrove forests which are included 

 in the Insular Forest system. Fish 

 and water fowl abound. The waters 

 present unusually vivid displays of 

 phorphoresence at night. E. M. Bruner. 



Laguna Tortuguero Sand Areas 



Highly characteristic natural area 

 of white silicious sand occurs on the 

 northern coastal plain of Porto Rico, 

 especially about Laguna Tortuguero, a 

 large freshwater lake. 



Reached by foot from stop "Algar- 

 roba" on the American R. R. and by 

 vecinal road from the vicinity of Vega 

 Baja or Manati; somewhat disturbed; 

 worthy of being made a nature reser- 

 vation. N. L. B. 

 Chaparral of Dry Deciduous Forest (B4) 



"Ballena" near Yauco and "Vertera" 

 near Boqueron. Rough rocky areas 

 receiving too little rainfall and with too 

 little soil to be cultivated. G. N. W. 



Tropical Rain Forest or Moist Deciduous 

 Forest (C4) 



"Indiera," area unknown, altitude 

 about 2500 ft., consisting mostly of an 



