THE ORINOCO. 



95 



strewn along the banks of the river as far as the angostnra, or " narrows," 

 which formerly gave their name to the capital of the lower Orinoco, 260 miles 

 from the Atlantic. The tides ascend to this place, but are not strong enough to 

 stem the current, which here flows at a mean elevation of 25 or 26 feet above sea- 

 level. The discharge at Ciudad Bolivar, above the Caroni, most copious of all 

 the Guiana tributaries, is estimated by Codazzi at 265,000 cubic feet per second, 

 and by Orton at nearly 530,000 cubic feet. The depth exceeds 25 fathoms 

 in many parts of the lower course. 



At Ciudad Bolivar the Orinoco rises during the floods from 40 to 50 feet, the 



Fiu-. 32. — The Orinoco at Caicaea 



normal rise beginning on April 15th, and continuing till August. In November 

 there is a second rise, which, however, is of short duration, and throughout the 

 dry season the river falls continuously, exposing vast tracts along its banks and 

 islands. On the other hand, during the floods it inundates the riverine plains to 

 great distances. At the confluences, where several streams converge above nar- 

 row channels, the waters expand to inland seas, flooding woodlands and savannas 

 at times for a space of 120 miles. One of the sixteenth-centur}^ Conquistadores, 

 having heard of a " sea " away to the south of the Barquisimeto mountains beyond 

 the llanos, pushed on to the margin of the inundated region, probably about the 

 lower Apure, and returned in the belief that he had reached the shores of the ocean. 



