Fig. 52—An epiphyte partly supported by a dead host at Rosalina, elevation 2,000 feet. The epiphyte bears a striking resemblance to a horned beast whose arched back, tightly clasped fingers, and small eyes give it a peculiarly malignant and life-like expression.
Fig. 53A—The smooth grassy slopes at the junction of the Yanatili (left) and Urubamba (right) rivers near Pabellon.
Fig. 53B—Distribution of vegetation in the Urubamba Valley near Torontoy. The patches of timber in the background occupy the shady sides of the spurs; the sunny slopes are grass-covered; the valley floor is filled with thickets and patches of woodland but not true forest.
The one is forested, the other grass-covered. Slopes that receive the noon and afternoon sun the greater part of the year are hottest and therefore driest. For places in 11° south latitude the sun is well to the north six months of the year, nearly overhead for about two months, and to the south four months. Northwesterly aspects are therefore driest and warmest, hence also grass-covered. In many places the line between grass and forest is developed so sharply that it seems to be the artificial edge of a cut-over tract. This is true especially if the relief is steep and the hill or ridge-crests sharp.[15]