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x52 THE -CONDOR I VoL. VII rades than these excellent ornithologists and enthusiastic collectors, and I consider myself tnost fortunate to have been favored by their companionship in a country where everything was new to me and where natural conditions were often such that I could not alone have even reached the localities where collections were nmde. In a country where everything is novel and full of interest even but six months' experience embraces far too much to be told in a few pages; consequently I shall attempt only a brief account in this article. Before arrival of my outfit only three trips to a considerable distance from San Jos? were made; to Santo Domingo de San Mate% (December 30 to January 2), to the summit of the volcano of Po?ts (January 2? to 23), and to Pigres, on the Pacific Coast (February 2 to 5)- The last named place having been visited a second time (after arrival of the outfit) and some three weeks spent there, a somewhat detailed account of that locality and our experiences there will be given further on. Santo Domingo de San Mateo is the present terminus of the railroad from San Jos? to the Pacific, and is situated on the upper edge of the coast plain about thir- ty miles from Punta Arenas, the Pacific port, with which connection is made by horseback and ear- rata. For a consider- able distance around the town the country is cleared and under cultivation or in pas- ture, the nearest forest being along the Rio Grande de T?trcoles, a few miles to the south- east. In some of the polreros (pastures) are patches of woodland of limited extent, mostly along the small streams flowing into the Rio Grande. As little time was LANDING ON RIO GRAND? D E= TARCOl-K'S: E?ND OF HORSK'BACK RID? TO P;GI?KS spent here, and there was but one gun between us (Mr. Alfaro being my companion on this occasion) few birds were obtained, the only one of special interest being Pleroglossus [rantzii, a rare toucan, six or seven of which I had the tantalizing pleasure of watching in a tree close by while Alfaro was elsewhere with the gun. Our time was too limit- ed to allow of a visit to the forest along the Rio Grande, just beyond which loomed high and inviting the noble peak of Turuvales, completely covered with primitive forest and never even visited by a naturalist! Po?s (87oo feet) is the only active volcano in Costa Rica, and is in plain view from San Jos? as are also Irazfi and Barba, the last lying between the other two. Starting from Po?s we proceeded by rail from San Jos? to Alajuela, where we took horses and rode to San Pedro de Alajuela, remaining over night and resuming our journey, by bright moonlight, at four o'clock next morning Reaching the lecheria (dairy farm) at the upper edge of the cleared zone after daybreak we rested a few a Name? ?f localities are so frequently duplicated in Spanish American countries that in order to be precise it is necessary to give the name of the province or canton in addition to that of the town or settlement. Neglect of col- lectors to do this has caused many serious errors in books concerning the range of species.