VALLEY OF CARIPE. 85 



palms, fern-roots, and the produce of various 

 trees. 



Proceeding to wards the valley of Caripe, the travel- 

 lers passed a limestone ridge which separates it from 

 that of Guanaguana, an undertaking which they 

 found rather difficult, the path being in several parts 

 only fourteen or fifteen inches broad, and the slopes 

 being covered with very slippery turf. When they 

 had reached the summit, an interesting spectacle pre- 

 sented itself to their view, consisting of the vast 

 savannas of Maturin and Rio Tigre, the Peak of 

 Turimiquiri, and a multitude of parallel hills resem- 

 bling the waves of a troubled ocean. 



Descending the height by a winding path, they 

 entered a woody country, where the ground was 

 covered by moss and a species of Drosera. As they 

 approached the convent of Caripe, the forests grew 

 more dense, and the power of vegetation increased. 

 The calcareous strata became thinner, forming grad- 

 uated terraces, while the stone itself assumed a white 

 colour, with a smooth or imperfectly conchoidal 

 fracture. This rock Humboldt considers as anal- 

 ogous to the Jura deposites. He found the level of 

 the valley of Caripe 1279 feet higher than that of 

 Guanaguana. Although the former is only sepa- 

 rated from the latter by a narrow ridge, it affords a 

 complete contrast to it, being deliciously cool and 

 salubrious, while the other is remarkable for its 

 great heat. 



H 



