87 
Going either eastward or westward (north or south) from the 
zone the elevations increase a. respectable mountains are 
reached in from twenty to fifty miles, and the a becomes 
much richer. The canal zone is probably the. tesa Gheeiine 
part of the Isthmus from a botanical point of v 
The climate of the zone is rather sharply divided by the wet 
and the dry seasons. During the dry season the climate of the 
isthmus is delightful or rather that portion of it within reach of 
the trade winds, which blow with great force and regularity. In 
the wet season, however, the humidity is doubtless great an nd 
consequently fete ‘0 one accustomed to a tropical 
climate however, I imagine eres is nothing that is unendurable. 
hanges in temperature are but ae during the winter, at 
least, and a mean temperature of about 80° F. in the day time 
was maintained ne my stay. At no time did I observe the 
midday heat | so great as I have frequently noted on the south 
side of Jama 
There are oe features to differentiate the canal-zone botanic- 
ally from other places in the same latitude. 
The forests are of mixed growth and the palms are not a con- 
spicuous feature, though the undergrowth contains a large ele- 
ment of low-growing species of that family. The larger trees 
are the cotton tree, sand-box, Cedre/a, Evrythrina and a few 
others. As one gets further into the forests, Casti/oa becomes 
quite common. Aroids and other climbing species are abundant 
in the more moist woods. 
Aside from the ase Railroad and the Chagres river, there 
are no roads on the isthmus. Trails from the settlements along 
the railroad extend back to the scattered provision grounds, but 
eyond that the “bush”’ is guiltless of paths, and a way has to 
be hacked out with the machette. 
Wild animals are abundant, though none of them seem to be 
feared, with the exception of the snakes. Of these, two species 
only, so far as I could learn, are to be dreaded — the “coral 
snake,” a pretty ringed species, a foot and a half or two feet in 
length, whose bite is said to be deadly, and the “ boa,” a large 
snake reaching a length of twenty feet or more. Fortunately 
