Dec. 28, 1916. Fishes of Panama — Meek and Hildebrand. 225 



ber of specimens of Joturus pichardi were obtained with a discharge of 

 dynamite. 



The regions through which the upper courses of these streams flow 

 are entirely uninhabited. A traveler in this region is obliged to provide 

 himself with provisions, for nothing can be obtained except fish and 

 game. Large fishes belonging to the genus Brycon are plentiful, and 

 there is doubtless also an abundance of game, although no effort was 

 made by us to obtain it. The region is densely wooded and no head- 

 way can be made into the jungle without cutting a trail. Large croco- 

 diles and caimens abound, and several species of monkeys may from 

 time to time be seen leaping from tree to tree. On several occasions 

 numbers of monkeys made early morning visits to our camps, chatter- 

 ing profusely in the trees overhead, but upon the first movement or 

 sound from the occupants of the camp the chattering ceased and a 

 grand rush was made for the jungle. 



We made the trip up these streams in a wooden dug-out, "poled" 

 by two natives. As it is impossible to paddle a canoe against the strong 

 current in most places, the natives use a pole with an iron shoe at the 

 base. One man stands in the stem of the boat to guide and to push and 

 the other occupies the bow, walking forward, securing a hold and then 

 running back as the boat is pushed along. Even during our expedition, 

 when the streams were at a very low stage it was necessary for us to 

 land and walk past several rapids while our boatmen by means of a 

 rope pulled the boat across them. In coming down stream and crossing 

 rapids considerable skill is required. Our boatmen were very careful 

 either to go faster than the current or slower in order to retain control 

 of the boat. It is then obvious that an expedition on the Upper Chagres 

 and its tributaries should not be imdertaken without skillful boatmen 

 who are familiar with the streams. 



The waters of the lower Chagres are constantly turbid, but those of 

 its upper tributaries were clear and cool at the time of our expedition. 

 The beds of all of the upper tributaries are pebbly or rocky. Large 

 boulders usually occiu- at the rapids, making traveling all the more 

 difficult. 



The stages of the river often change rapidly owing to freshets in the 

 mountains, the highest water usually occurring during November and 

 December, at the close of the rainy season, and the lowest water during 

 February and March. The rapidity with which the stream at times 

 rises may be seen from the following figures obtained from the records 

 kept by the Isthmian Canal Commission at its hydrographic station at 

 Alhajuela: On December 26, 1909, the river had an elevation of 96.6 feet 

 at 7 :oo a. m. ; at 7 :oo P. m. the elevation was 121 feet. On December 26, 



