Fauna and species of the prehensile-tailed capuchin monkey are known in Venezuela, and many other kinds are found in the forests, including the black thumbless spider-monkeys and variegated spider-monkey; the banded douroucouli, little squirrel-monkeys and marmosets, etc. Bats and vampire bats are abundant. There are large specimens of the jaguar and puma, and (among other large cats) the ocelot, the jaguarondi and margay. In the Andes the "spectacled bear" is found: the raccoon tribe is represented by the kinka jou; the weasels by the tayra, the grison, etc. The Brazilian otter is found in the rivers of the Llanos. The red Brazilian and Ecuadorean brockets represent the deer; there are two species of peccary and the manati is not un common. We mention also the peculiar tree porcupine and the capybara, or "water-hog"; the aguti, the sloth, the great-maned ant-eater or ant-bear, the lesser ant-eater, the two-toed ant-eater and the armadillo; finally opossums called rabipelados and the perrito de agua or water-opossum. Many of the Venezuelan birds are beautiful, but few have musical notes. Characteristic are: The manikins, with their gay plumage; the beautiful orange-red cock-of the-rocks ; the umbrella-birds or fife-birds; the bell-birds which make a noise like the ringing of a bell; jacmars, puff-birds, trogons, the king humming-birds; the great wood. night-jars and the oil-birds or guacharos. There are flocks of green parrots and of blue and red or yellow macaws in the forests. No less than 32 species of falcons or eagles are known and on the nver-courses many water-birds are found — among these the herons or garzas, storks and ibises, rosy white or scarlet flamingoes, curassows and guans, the hoatzins (resembling pheasants), etc. The snakes are very numer ous, poisonous varieties being the coral-snake, rattle-snake and "bushmaster,' and non-poison ous varieties the water-boa and anaconda, the cazadora and the wood-snake or sipo. There are 11 species of crocodiles; about six genera of frogs and toads represent the amphibians, and of the former, one emits in croaking a sound resembling a human shout so nearly that "a number of them give the impression of a crowd at a football match." Among the fish, the well-known caribe, ferocious as its name implies, and the electric eel, or temblodor, cer tainly receive more than their proportionate and appropriate share of attention in travelers' ac counts, the life in the seas, rivers and lakes being abundant and varied. Insects of the forest regions (one-half of the entire country) naturally resemble those of the Brazilian selvas — the gorgeous butterflies and brilliant fireflies, the monkey-spiders, etc.
Within the vast forests of southern Vene zuela the plants range from the alpine shrubs and reindeer moss of some of the high plateaux and hills to the bamboos and orchids of the river banks. Forest giants and timber trees are: The mora, with dark-red, fine-grained wood; the mahogany and a tree resembling rose wood ; the very large ceiba and mucurutu or cannon-ball tree. Specially important products of the forests are the Brazil nut, the tonka bean (sarrapia), balata, copaiba-balsam, rubber and cinchona or quinine. In the hot lowlands the chief products are cacao, sugar, plantains, bananas, cassava, maize and cocoanuts, with dyewoods and tanning barks, including dividivi, logwood, mangrove and indigo. In the cooler uplands (lower Tierra templada) coffee, cotton, cocoa, etc., flourish near the fields of wheat and
potatoes; and a single garden may produce both roses and bougainvilleas; a single orchard both papayas and quinces. The higher part of the Tierra ten:Nada shows us both palms and pines—in brief, a greater variety of plant life than can be found in the hot lowlands.
Political Divisions and Venezuela is divided into a federal district, 20 states and two territories. These, as far as possible with their areas, capitals and populations, are given herewith. The total area is about 393,976 square miles and the population is estimated at 2,850,000.
Government.— Venezuela is a federal union of states that retain autonomy in their internal government, certain limited powers only being vested in the federal government. The Consti tution now in force is that of 13 June 1914. The legislative authority is vested in a Congress of two houses — the Senate and Chamber of Depu ties — the former consisting of 40 members elected by the legislative assemblies of the states for three years, two for each state, Venezuelans by birth and over 30 years of age; the latter composed of deputies chosen from each state and the federal district by a direct vote and for three years, one deputy for each 35,000 inhabitants and an additional deputy for each additional 15,000. Deputies hold office three years, must be Venezuelans by birth and over 21 years of age. Congress meets on 19 April of each year, the sessions lasting 70 days.
The executive power is vested in a President and a cabinet of ministers, who act in con junction with the President. The President is elected by the National Congress for seven years; and must be a Venezuelan by birth and over 30 years of age, and is eligible for the constitutional period immediately following that in which he holds office. During the temporary absence of the President, the office is occupied by the minister of state designated by him. In case there is no President, the power is exer cised by the president of the Federal and Cas sation Court, who must then immediately con vene the Congress to elect a new President for the remaining term of the office. The cabinet is appointed and renewed by the President and is responsible to him alone. It is composed of seven ministers, in charge of the departments of Interior Relations, Foreign Relations, Finance and Public Credit, War and Marine, Fomento (Promotion), Public Works and Public Instruc tion. The federal judiciary comprises the Supreme Federal and Cassation Court and courts of first instance established in the states, the federal district and the territories. The justices of the Supreme Court, seven in number, are elected by the National Congress for a term of seven years and the court meets annually.
Each of the 20 states has a legislative assem bly whose members are elected in conformity with the respective state constitutions. The ex ecutive power of each state consists of a presi dent and a secretary-general. The states are divided into districts and the latter into munic ipalities, each district having a municipal coun cil and each municipality a communal board. The federal territories are administered by governors appointed by the President of the re public, the governors in turn appointing their secretaries. The federal district comprises the city. of Caracas, the capital of the republic, to gether with the parishes of El Recreo, El Valle, La Vega, Antimano, Macarao, Macuto and El Departmento Vargas.