2 SOUTH AMERICAN TIPULIDAE 
distance up the mountains it rains nearly everj^ day. The 
second day after my arrival I took a train for Cisneros, which 
is at an altitude of 525 feet above the sea-level. On the road 
up there is a great forest extending as far as the eye can 
reach, broken only by the huts of the Indians or the thatched 
cottages of the Negroes. One could see the insects gathered 
around a muddy pool left by the rain and some of these were 
splendid in their coloring. At times one would see a blue flash 
while looking into the woods and those who are acquainted 
with the denizens of the tropics would recognize a Morpho. 
The train had to go slowly up the mountain and that left time 
to look around. Soon we arrived at Cisneros and after luncheon 
we proceeded on our journey, this time on horse-back for about 
twenty miles along a mule track where there was just enough 
room for two mules to pass at one time. In many instances 
we had to crowd our horses toward the inside when we met a 
pack-team and it would often require ten or fifteen minutes 
to pass. After some hours' ride we caught another train which 
took us up 4400 feet to the town of Caldas, which is a rather 
pretty place. I stopped here for about ten days although it was 
not a very good location for a naturalist, since the land is highly 
cultivated and most of the trees have been cut away. A small 
stream flowed through the middle of the town, however, and 
that made it attractive for some species of crane-flies and other 
insects. After my ten days were up I took a train that brought 
me still higher to a place called La Cumbre. This is on the edge 
of the mountain at an altitude of 6600 feet and is an ideal place 
for anyone in my calling. Some of the nights were cold and 
windy, others were cold but would allow my putting out the 
lights to attract insects. At night there were but few specimens, 
but these were worth while. From here I rode over the first 
range of mountains until I began to descend, and far in the dis- 
tance we could see the Cauca River, like a silver hne, winding 
its way toward the Caribbean Sea. In a short time we arrived 
at Cah, which is about 500 feet above the sea. Call is a large 
town and they keep it about as clean as any South American 
town is kept. It is no place for work, however, and after 
remaining there my usual time I hired a couple of horses and 
returned to La Cumbre and thence to the coast, because I had 
