83 
Yunque Mountain is a rectangular mass of limestone, with pre- 
cipitous sides, reaching a height of about 3,000 ft. The top is 
only accessible by one rugged trail. At the front are jagged 
rock peaks, but to the rear is a considerable area of compara- 
tively level land covered with heavy forest. There are numerous 
deep, moist sinkholes, filled with tree ferns and other moisture- 
loving trees and plants. These yielded a rich harvest of ferns, 
liverworts and mosses. The Cooper house is near the base of 
the cliffs forming the front side of the mountain, and from here 
the land slopes rapidly down with a succession of sharp ridges 
and deep ravines to the valley of the Duava River, which empties 
into the sea not far from Baracoa. The lower levels are com- 
paratively open, with cocoanut groves and many scattered clumps 
of royal palms. On approaching the mountain, the country 
becomes densely wooded and the royal palms are fewer. None 
were observed at an altitude of more than 2,000 ft. About three 
miles north of El Yunque is a range of high steep hills forming 
the watershed between the Duava ahd Toa rivers. The tops of 
marked off from the surrounding forest areas. The soil seemed 
to be hard and gravelly and the conditions were markedly xero- 
phytic. Most of the plants and shrubs of these pine woods were 
out of season, but a number of interesting specimens were se- 
cured. 
Owing to the infrequent sailings of the coast steamers, we were 
obliged to leave Baracoa on March 19, a week earlier than we 
had intended, going back to Santiago. 
On the morning of the 21st we went by rail to Alto Cedro, a 
construction camp on the Cuba Central Railway at the junction 
with the branch for Nipe Bay, work on which is being pushed 
actively. Alto Cedro is in the great forest area that occupies the 
interior of eastern Cuba. We were told that it is practically un- 
broken for sixty miles farther to the westward, This forest con- 
tains scattered trees of mahogany, and West Indian cedar of 
great value, and these are being cut and hauled to the railroad 
for export. The country is comparatively level and in the rainy 
season it must become almost aswamp. The forest is an almost 
