Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/90

 86 COLOMBIA face toward the points of rupture of the moun- tains, and the faces of both are covered with sculptures, among which are distinguishable figures of the frog (the Chibcha sign of water) with outspread feet, and human figures with upraised arms, in attitude of surprise or alarm. Among the natural curiosities of the country are the falls of Tequendama; the natural bridge of Pandi or Icononzo, spanning the river Suma Paz at an elevation of 600 ft. ; the cascade of the Rio Vinagre, so called from the sulphuric acid with which its waters are charged ; the great orifices called Hoyo del Aire and Hoyo de los Pajaros, near Velez ; the Pelion de Quitisoque, from the symmetrically pierced summit of which fall three beautiful streams of water; the Fura-Tena (man and woman in the Chibcha language), and the Bo- queron de Pefia Armada, which are two stu- pendous cuts or excavations made by the Rio Minero, the second 10,650 ft. deep; and the natural tunnel of the Rio Suarez. From Costa Rica to Venezuela, Colombia abounds in au- riferous alluvions of great extent. There is hardly a state which does not possess in its soil more or less gold. It is claimed that Cho- co, Antioquia, Mariquita, Popayan, Pamplona, Ocafia, Bucaramanga, and other places are ex- ceedingly rich in that metal. The auriferous sands of Antioquia, according to M. Dufrenoy, afford results very nearly coinciding with those of California. Small diamonds are found with the gold, and in the same district the sulphate of mercury is abundant. Choco produces plat- inum, and Muzo emeralds ; and in various parts of the country are mines of silver, copper, lead, iron, quicksilver, coal (in Bogota, Cali, Soata, Chiriqui, &c.), amethysts, and other varieties of rare and valuable stones and minerals. The great coal bed of Cali, it is believed, extends beyond the Cordilleras to the Pacific. On the table lands of Bogota, Tuquerres, Tunja, and Pamplona rock salt abounds, and lime, sul- phur, alum, magnesia, asphaltum, and other valuable minerals exist in inexhaustible quan- tities in various parts of the republic. The climate of Colombia presents remarkable contrasts and nearly every variety of tem- perature. The lower part of the valley of the Magdalena is oppressed with almost tropical heat. The waters of the river are lukewarm, and at Honda, 1,000 ft. above the level of the sea, stones exposed to the sun's rays are too hot to place the hand upon. The mortality in this region is great, more especially among children. At Cartagena, as well as on the "W. coast, the yellow fever is endemic, and the lowlands are dangerous to both Europeans and the people of the highlands. On the plateaus the air is salubrious and the temperature is that of perpetual spring. On the plain of Bogota, which is 8,000 ft. above the sea, the thermometer ranges from 55 to V0 F., and the rain in the wet season falls but a few hours daily in the afternoon. The summits of the Cordilleras are usually covered with mists, and the tops of the highest with perpetual snow. In the forests of Darien the rain falls almost unceasingly, and the gulf of Choco is seldom free from violent storms. The flora combines almost all the products of the tropical, inter- tropical, and temperate zones. Within a single day's journey one may encounter the four seasons of the year and the vegetable peculiar- ities of all these zones. Rice, cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, and all tropical fruits grow along the coast ; and the elevated plains yield maize, wheat, potatoes, and all the European fruits. The vast forests, yet imperfectly explored, abound with valuable productions. In Po- payan the cinchona grows to perfection, and the sides of the mountains of Tolima are clothed to an elevation of 8,500 ft. with wax palms 200 ft. high. Besides these are found the pitayo, cedar, balsam of Tolu, vanilla, lig- num vitae, mahogany, caoutchouc, and the three trees perhaps most precious of all, the albataque, the vine of the cross, and the arisa, all remarkable specifics, the first against in- flammation, the second for stanching effusions of blood, and the third for instantaneously stopping bleeding at the nose. Notwithstand- ing the luxuriance of the vegetation, the spe- cies are not intermingled. Each kind occupies some tract of its own, where it flourishes to the almost total exclusion of others. Colombia abounds in animal life. The rivers swarm with alligators and wild fowl, and myriads of flies render life almost unendurable in the lowlands. Boa constrictors and poisonous serpents, the jaguar, the puma, and others of the feline tribe, and monkeys of many species abound in the tropical forests. The sloth, armadillo, ant- eater, and cavy also inhabit the lower forests ; deer of different kinds are found at all heights ; and the bear and marmot approach the limits of perpetual snow. At the height of about 3,000 ft. the alligator and boa constrictor dis- appear, and the tapir, the largest quadruped of the country, is seen. Popular tradition re- ports the existence in the vast unexplored forests of the panchique and mancarita, enor- mous quadrupeds never seen alive, but whose tracks, those of the first round, and those of the second marked with three great toes, have been often observed in the mountains of Coco- nuco in Popayan, and at Piedecuesta in San- tander. It is affirmed that on the line of the tracks of the panchique the branches of the trees have been broken off to the height of 15 feet. The condor soars above the snow line of the Andes, and the forests are alive with innumerable varieties of insects and birds. Among these the changeable butterfly of Muzo is without a rival in its beauty, and the troopial is not excelled by the nightingale for its song. The bird of Velez, called sol y luna, (sun and moon), has the image of both those luminaries on its wings. On the coast turtles and fish abound, and pearls and coral are found in the bay of Panama and near Cartagena. The population of Colombia is made up of