F. GEOGRAPHY. 247 



worked by the Spaniards in the early days of the Conquest, 

 this knowledge being only by traditions. The expenses are 

 borne conjointly by the Costa Rican government and by the 

 contractors for the Costa Rica Railroad ; and although the 

 party has consisted only of Professor Gabb and four assist- 

 ants, it has already gathered a great deal of important in- 

 formation and material in reference to the economical, scien- 

 tific, and political history of the region investigated. 



In the course of his labors, Professor Gabb found the peo- 

 ple less savage than had been supposed, and he has already 

 succeeded in winning: their confidence to such an extent as 

 to induce their chief to accompany him on a visit to San 

 Jose. 



As might have been expected, the geological structure of the 

 country has occupied a large share of Professor Gabb's atten- 

 tion, and enough has been discovered to warrant the belief that 

 the mineral resources are of great importance. The greatest 

 interest attaches, however, to the discovery of two previously 

 unknown volcanoes, not less than 7000 feet high, in the main 

 Cordillera just northwest of Pico Blanco. Of these he is about 

 making a thorough examination. The natural-history col- 

 lections made by the Professor are of unusual magnitude and 

 value, embracing all departments of zoology, and especially 

 rich in mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. Of fish there 

 were but few species, but all that could be found were se- 

 cured. The ethnology and philology of the country have 

 been attended to very thoroughly, and vocabularies, amount- 

 ing in some cases to five hundred words, of certain divisions 

 of the tribe, have been made. Material illustrating the man- 

 ners and customs of the people was also gathered in great 

 quantities, and important discoveries made of Iluacos, or pre- 

 historic graves. 



In addition to these, Professor Gabb is on the track of an 

 ancient buried city, of which no mention is made in any his- 

 tory of the country. The natural-history and ethnological 

 collections made have been sent to the National Museum, 

 where they form a conspicuous feature in the Central Amer- 

 ican series. 



The material thus collected by Professor Gabb will, on his 

 return, be made the subject of an elaborate work, in which 

 he hopes to present the whole subject of the physical and 



