Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 
17 
of the lowlands. The cup-like Bromeliads and the endless variety 
of epiphytic orchids form a rich world of life in themselves. We 
spent only three weeks at La Cumbre, although indeed the whole 
five months of our stay in Colombia could have been well spent 
obtaining the flora accessible at that station. However, our mission 
to collect and compare the floras of the upper zones of life of the 
Central and Western Andes, called us to go further inland and to 
higher levels. The Western Cordillera near La Cumbre rises from 
the tropical into the subtropical zone of life, but still higher occur 
two other life zones, the temperate or cool zone, and the paramo or 
cold zone. 
To reach these the upper slopes of both the central and western 
Andes was possible from the deep intervening trough of the valley 
of the Cauca River. Before we descend to this valley from the 
western range, let us pause and see one of the most famous Andean 
views. On either side, north or south, the Western Cordillera rises 
far-away to heights much greater than our low pass; before us is the 
open, floor-like, yellowish-green Cauca valley, the course of the 
river showing as a winding silver thread; across the valley, some fifty 
miles away, the foothills of the Central Cordillera rise sharply, 
their bases bare but, just above, their flanks sheathed and coated 
with deep green forest. Perhaps we see these hills soon passing 
into cloud, or we may have the good fortune to see them dwarfed 
and grouped at the foot of the great mass of the Central Andes, 
the high chain that, as a rampart reaching repeatedly to snow, 
cleaves Western Colombia from south to north. The Western and 
eastern Cordilleras in Colombia rise here and there to like altitudes; 
but neither maintains the height of the Central Cordillera. 
Away from this entering railroad there are not even roadways by 
which to reach the cordillera, so that the problem of arranging 
for transportation is the first which must be considered. Our 
first expedition into the Cauca valley resulted in the purchase of a 
riding mule for each of our party and four for cargo. These were 
procured in the neighborhood of ‘‘La Manuelita,” the estate of 
Sr. Henry Eder from whom Dr. Chapman’s ornithological helpers 
had received such courteous aid. We left Cali, a thriving town 
with a modern atmosphere, and after a few hours by train to 
the end of the present railway at Aganche, changed to our mules 
and spent three days of leisurely travel journeying to Popavan. 
