1917.] Chapman, Distribution of Birdrlife in Colombia. 37 



with them and sphagnum, gentians, dwarf lupines, yellow-eyed grass, a 

 yellow sorrel, similar to ours but larger, a buttercup, a peculiar fern, and 

 numerous composites, mostly dwarfed rosettes but one a very showy purple 

 and yellow species, called "arnica" by the natives. The wet places, along 

 streams or in sink holes, give one the impression again of our northern bogs 

 only here there is very little or no sphagnum. Its place is taken by a peculiar 

 daisy whose thick set rosettes of short stiff leaves form great hummocks 

 over soft places. Blueberries were plentiful but bitter, woody, and inedible, 

 except for the birds. 



"When we reached the Paramo, we made for the top of the ridge and 

 looking over found a beautiful little valley suspended there in mid-air. 

 The lower end of it was wooded at the sides but the centre and upper end 

 was open Paramo. Down the centre rushed a sparkling mountain stream 

 which made up in sound what it lacked in size. On either side of the valley 

 the ridge rose from 13,500-15,000 feet and the valley itself lay at about 

 12,700. 



"We descended into the valley and pitched our tent at the edge of the 

 woods. In this valley was done most of the collecting. We later explored 

 up to an altitude of 15,200 feet (nearly the limit of vegetation and above 

 the base of the snowline on the peaks) and found the vegetation practically 

 the same and the fauna identical, except that it was much more condensed 

 in the valleys, especially along the stream. The vegetation extended to 

 about 15,500 feet and above that all was bare, frosted rock. At this altitude 

 and open situation, birds were very few but without exception were identi- 

 cal with those in the valley. The woods which cover the mountainside 

 below, and the nature of which has already been described, extend up the 

 sides of the valley for about a half mile to an altitude of 12,600 feet. 

 The centre of the valley is open from 12,400 feet up but the typical Paramo 

 does not begin until 12,600 feet. 



"The birds of the open Paramo are comparatively few in species and 

 not extremely abundant in numbers, especially on the ridges. They are 

 most abundant along the stream and in the swamp which occurs mostly 

 along the stream. 



"The birds of the woods bordering the Paramo were of course very 

 different and consisted mainly of Laguneta species with a few others of like 

 nature. 



"We remained at this camp for just a week and collected 200 birds. 

 The weather was very pleasant although the nights were cold, several times 

 ice forming in the water-pail. The temperature at 6 A. M. varied from 37° 

 to 45°, dependent upon whether it were cloudy or not, and at noon got up 

 as high as 76°. The mornings were generally more or less clear but shortly 



