The Crustacea of Colombia have been studied now and then, and some species have been described which are not known to occur elsewhere, but no one has ever visited the country for the express purpose of studying its carcinological fauna. It was with great pleasure, therefore, that the writer accepted an invitation to accompany the Walker Expedition, sent during the summer of 1913 by the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, to investigate the region about Santa Marta, on the southern shore of the Caribbean Sea. A general account of the country has been published elsewhere (Pearse, '14). This part of South America offers an admirable variety of habitats. The map (fig. 1) gives the general features of the country. Along the coast there is a strip of desert about 7 miles wide, the flora of which consists largely of acacias and great cacti. Beyond this the mountains rise abruptly to the snow peaks of the Sierras. From July 1 to 26 the party made its headquarters on the Cincmnati Coffee Plantation, at an altitude of 4,500 feet, whence it was possible in a single day to tramp to the top of San Lorenzo (8,300 feet) and return, or to go down to Minca (2,000 feet). The mountains were covered with a luxuriant forest and it rained every afternoon. From July 28 to August 4 we studied the fauna about ''La Rosa," an irrigated tract of land in the midst of a desert, the aridity of which was relieved somewhat by swift streams originating in the mountains above. From the desert we went to Fundacion, a vUlage on the bank of a good-sized river which flowed rapidly over a sandy bottom. Here it was extremely hot and there was rain only twice during the two weeks of our stay. The surrounding country was rather dry and sandy; the forest bemg less dense than in the mountams above. Two daj^s, August 22 and 23, were spent in the mangrove swamps along the Cienaga Grande on Tasajera Isla. After that (August 25 to 30) headquarters were made in Santa Marta and the sluggish rivers in that vicinity were explored. A trip was also made to Gaira, a village down the coast near the mouth of a river.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.