CHAPTER XXIII

DEPARTMENTS, CLIMATE, AND NATURAL HISTORY 265

The nineteen divisions of Uruguay--Their populations, areas, towns, and industries--Canelones--Florida--San José--Durazno--Flores--Colonia--Soriano--Rio Negro-- Paysandú--Salto--Artigas--Tacuarembó--Rivera--Cerro Largo--Treinta y Tres--Rocha--Maldonado--Montevideo-- Climate--Favourable conditions throughout the Republic--The Atlantic coast line--The summer season-- Pleasantly tempered heat--A land of cool breezes--Its attractions as a pleasure resort--Climates of the interior and of the north--Drought--Locusts--Comparative immunity of a pastoral country--Uruguayan fauna--Some common creatures of the Campo--Bird life--The ostrich--Its value as a commercial asset--The trade in ostrich feathers--Measures for the protection of the birds.