. A complete geography. irds, parrots, paroquets, birds ofparadise, and other species of bird life in the tropical forest, are farfamed. Among the mammals there is less variety and abundance, the greatestnumber, as the monkeys and sloths (Fig. 339), being tree-dwellers. Others,like the tapir, live in the swampy undergrowth; and some very large PLANTS, ANIMALS, AND PEOPLE 291 animals, like the rhinoceros and elephant, still live in the densewhere it is difficult to hunt them. Occasionally, too, fierce animalas the tiger (Fig. 324) in theOld World, and the jaguar inthe New, lurk in the denselygr
. A complete geography. irds, parrots, paroquets, birds ofparadise, and other species of bird life in the tropical forest, are farfamed. Among the mammals there is less variety and abundance, the greatestnumber, as the monkeys and sloths (Fig. 339), being tree-dwellers. Others,like the tapir, live in the swampy undergrowth; and some very large PLANTS, ANIMALS, AND PEOPLE 291 animals, like the rhinoceros and elephant, still live in the densewhere it is difficult to hunt them. Occasionally, too, fierce animalas the tiger (Fig. 324) in theOld World, and the jaguar inthe New, lurk in the denselygrowing vegetation, ready topounce upon the more defence-less, plant-eating animals. Eeptiles also thrive in thewarmth and dampness of theforest. Great snakes twinethemselves like huge vinesamong the trees and under-brush, and poisonous serpentsare common. The standingbodies of water encouragewater life, — for example, theturtle and alligator among rep-tiles, and the hippopotamusand manatee among mammals. forest,s, such. Fig. tiger of India. Savannas. — On eitherside of the tropical forest isa belt where the temperature is always high, but where the rainfallvaries with the season, being rainy when the belt of calms migratesto it, and dry in the opposite season when swept by the trade winds(p. 268). This belt of alternate dry and moist conditions is bestdeveloped in the interior of continents, and is rarely found on east-facing coasts. Why not ? Owing to the absence of rain during one season, dense forestsare impossible ; but some plants, such as grasses, thrive. These aretherefore grass-covered lands and are known as savmmas (Fig. 325). The doims of northern Australia, the park lands lying both north andsouth of the equator in Africa, the campos of Brazil, and the llanos ofVenezuela and Columbia, are all examples of savannas. They are dry andbarren in one season, fresh and green in the other. Trees, such as palms,line the streams; but elsewhere the land is open. Grass
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