Page:Bolivia (1893; Bureau of the American Republics).djvu/65

Rh countries, including a species of mulberry from the bark of which are made the curious shirts worn by certain tribes of the Bolivian Indians. Among the medicinal and other plants are cinchona, jalap, matico, sarsaparilla, copaiba, tamarind, palma-Christi, ipecacuanha, camphor, gum arabic, balsams, valerian, cinnamon, and vanilla.

The animal kingdom is here represented by vast herds of cattle and by many wild species, including the leopard, black bear, jaguar, or American tiger, puma, tapir, sloth, armadillo, wild cats, monkeys, the huge boa constrictor, alligators, etc. Among the many interesting varieties of birds, are humming birds of rich and varied plumage; the uchi, a species of yellow and black spotted canary; toucan, tunqui, of bright red plumage and stately crest, resembling that of the African touraco; a great variety of parrots and paroquets; the colibri, a small handsome bird allied to the humming bird; the pajaro mosca (fly bird), with plumage so rich and changeable that, it is said, in the sunlight "it produces with its feathers the same changes and brilliancy of the diamond;" the organito (small organ), noted for the organ-like music it makes as it hums and sings, here and there, along the waterfalls where it is always heard. The low plains of this region of production, though the most fertile section of Bolivia, have their objectionable features in the excessive humidity of the climate, and in the obstinate resistance of certain of the native tribes to occupation by strangers either from within or without the Republic.

This zone of production lies approximately between 6,500 and 12,000 feet above the sea, and embraces the central departments of Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, and Tarija, and the rich valleys of the western departments of the Republic.

Aside from the vast deposits of gold, silver, copper, tin, and other metals which, for the most part, are here first met with, the