20 
Annual Reports of Academy of 
perate zone in many localities in Colombia, but my most vivid 
impression of it is this forest at Calaguala. Never have I seen 
tree limbs so heavily laden with air-plants; never have I seen the 
forest in a more perfect setting. The temperate forest has not the 
tumultuous riot of species that characterizes the tropical and sub¬ 
tropical zones; and the same species will recur in sufficient abund¬ 
ance to give character to a vista. Look from the hill above Cala¬ 
guala eastward into the forest. The trees appear as in a park, 
and one discovers with surprise that this appearance is due to the 
forest having been actually cleared for pasturage. Only the 
undergrowth has been cleared and the forest floor planted to shade- 
loving grasses. Every forest tree remains in its proper beauty, 
and the great green trees with their wide branches form a mag¬ 
nificent scene in themselves. Contrasting color is given by the 
load of air-life which the branches bear, especially by the rich 
purple maroon of the upright cups of a certain Bromeliad. Delicacy 
and a certain mystery are added by the tints of pale yellow-green, 
given by the slender pendent growths of an air-lichen. Beyond, 
behind, and on above the forest, forming a background as majestic 
as beautiful, lie greenish-brown fields of grass reaching up to 
snow. Such a background to such a forest is incomparable. 
Paletara is only a few hours from Calaguala, and the summer 
cottage of Senor Munoz is placed above the swift brown current 
of the Cauca River, here near its source. Paletara is actually a 
broad meadow, some ten miles or more across, enclosed among 
hills and appearing to have been once a lake. On all sides it is 
surrounded by forest, and yet its vegetation is true paramo. One 
goes down from the forested hills into a prairie filled with plants 
which normally grow only above timber-line. This anomaly occurs 
elsewhere in similar ancient lake basins of this mountain-mass, 
although only at elevations nearly up to true paramo. I suppose 
that the explanation of this distribution must be that the open 
sweep of miles of prairies gives opportunity for winds so driving as 
to inhibit tree growth. Later in the expedition, I saw shrubs and 
small trees growing on steep banks almost up to the snow itself. 
Paletara was our nearest approach to the equator, about two 
degrees north latitude, yet never have I felt more chilled than during 
the three days of our stay. In constant driving rain and fog,— 
“paramo” such weather is called, with a temperature of 35 degrees 
