1917.] Chapman, Distribution of Bird-life in Colombia. ffl 



As has been remarked, the eastern slope of the eastern ridge of the Andes 

 is forested from summit to base. At the foot of the ridge which rises 

 abruptly from the level plain at its feet, the forest of the mountain gives 

 way to the grasses of the Llanos. 



The environs of Villavicencio, to which our collecting was confined, 

 are largely under cultivation. The original llano grasses have given way 

 to Para and Guinea grass; various crops are cultivated; trees border the 

 byways and are found in clumps on small areas in the bottom-lands. 

 Somewhat farther east stretches of forest occur. The differences between 

 the bird-life of Buena Vista and that of Villavicencio are due to the char- 

 acter of the country rather than to altitude. Doubtless had we collected 

 in the forests at the base of the mountain, we should have found many 

 species which we secured only at Buena Vista. 



Bogota to Ftisugasugd. — Our disappointment in finding so little undis- 

 turbed, primeval country along the trail from Honda and the railroad from 

 Giradot to the tableland was forgotten when we discovered the admirable 

 conditions for collecting which exist between Bogota and Fusugasuga. 



As a region to which Bogotanos repair for climatic change, Fusugasuga is 

 often thought of as a suburb of the larger city, a conception which is fostered 

 by the apparent proximity of the two cities as seen on maps. It is probable, 

 however, that, excepting a few raptorial species, not two birds are common 

 to both places. Beginning our journey at Cibate, at the southern end of 

 the Savanna, it is doubtful if, even in Colombia, one could encounter more 

 pronounced faunal changes than occur in the fifteen miles lying between 

 that place and Fusugasuga. 



Cibate has the same altitude as Bogota and, except to the south, the 

 surrounding country, and doubtless its bird-life, are essentially similar; 

 but within a few minutes after leaving the railway station, which marks 

 the terminus of the twenty-miles of track constituting the Ferrocaril del 

 Sur, one begins to climb the low hills which form the southern rim of the 

 Savanna. Where not under cultivation, the ground is covered with a 

 scrubby second growth which, within three miles, is gradually replaced 

 by the low, stunted, moss-covered forest of the humid Temperate Zone. 

 The ascent is now barely perceptible but it continues to the posada of El 

 Pifion, at the extreme southern edge of the ridge dividing the Savanna of 

 Bogota from the slopes below it. 



At this point the trail drops abruptly into the almost gorge-like valley 

 which leads to Fusugasuga. On each side, and separated by less than a 

 mile, stand the precipitous walls which flank the valley. Heated air from 

 the broad, radiating surfaces of the semi-arid Magdalena plains below is 

 drawn up this slit in the mountains and at El Pinon meets the cooler 



