36 PHYSICAL FEATURES ETC. 
probably the southern limit of the former in Central America. Descending a steep 
slope beyond Ocotal, he came to a forest resembling that around Santo Domingo, 
though the trees were not so large, but tree ferns, palms, lianas, broad-leaved heli- 
coniz, and melastome were again abundant, and he was told that the Quezal, the 
royal bird of the Aztecs, was occasionally met with. Belt, having successfully obtained 
the required number of Indians, returned by nearly the same route to Santo Domingo, 
and shortly after left for England. 
Mr. C. W. Richmond, who resided in Eastern Nicaragua from February 1892 to 
January 1893, when describing the climate, says [Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xvi. (1893) ] 
that the east coast has a protracted rainy season of eight or nine months, with 
occasional spells of fair weather; the rainfall is enormous, in some years reaching 
296 inches at Greytown. He went up the Rio Frio into Costa Rican territory, from 
the Lake of Nicaragua to the Guatusa Indian settlements, at the head of the canoe 
navigation. A shark, doubtless the same species as that known to inhabit the lake 
(Carcharias nicaraguensis), was seen as far up the river as he ascended. Later 
Mr. Richmond spent some months on the Escondido River, chiefly about 50 miles 
from the mouth. This river was formerly known as Bluefields, or Blewfields, and is 
probably the most important on the coast of Central America, with the exception 
of the San Juan. There is no troublesome bar, as is usually the case, and large ocean 
steamers ascend to Rama, 65 miles from the mouth, where two rivers, the Rama and 
the Sequia, join and form the Escondido. The banks for many miles, including both 
branches above Rama, are Jined with banana plantations, the monotony of which is 
broken by the numerous picturesque ceiba and ebo trees which have been left standing 
in the clearings, while the dense tropical forest lies in the background. In the last 
15 or 20 miles of its course, the river winds through dreary silico swamps nearly 
devoid of bird life, and then empties itself into the Bluefields Lagoon, 15 miles 
long and 7 miles broad. Mr. Richmond enumerates 281 species of birds which 
he observed during this journey. 
COSTA RICA. 
This country was not visited by either Salvin or myself, and I am indebted to 
Mr. Carriker, Mr. Ridgway, and other writers for the following information. 
The little Republic of Costa Rica has an extreme length of 250 miles with a breadth 
of about 150. ‘The greater part of the country is very mountainous, with narrow 
coastal plains on both sides, finally extending to about 30 miles in width in the north- 
eastern corner. ‘The drainage system is complicated, the extreme northern portion is 
comparatively low, draining into Lake Nicaragua to the north and the San Juan 
River on the Atlantic; while on the eastern side the streams and rivers have 
their sources in the high mountains, and descend rapidly through narrow valleys or 
gorges, separated by abrupt forest-clad ridges, which are frequently very narrow. The 
