24 E. B. Williamson 



dragonflies were commonly called senoritas, and at Bogota they were called 

 niatapiojo. The first part of the latter name means a killer, and the last 

 part an insect the same as or similar to the red bug, — in other words, the 

 red bug killer. A well educated gentleman at Puerto Berrio said that in the 

 Department of Antioquia dragonflies were called by the common people 

 chilcaqua, from chiquear, to reduce, to make less and less, hence to flip or 

 dip out, and from aqua, water, the name doubtless tracing back to some early 

 observer of an ovipositing libelluline, very probably Ortliemis fcrruginca. 

 One evening at El Banco when we had an audience of several persons while 

 putting up our day's catch, we asked if the insects were called caballitos. 

 To this we received an affirmative reply from everyone but a small boy who 

 pointed to a zygopterous specimen and said "ceritongo" (cieratonga). The 

 day's catch included libellulines, large and small, aeshnines, gomphines, and 

 a mixture of zygopteras including Mecistogasters. We at once mixed up 

 the lot and asked him to separate the caballitos and the ceritongos. As 

 rapidly as he could pick them up with the tweezers he separated the 

 anisopteras from the zygopteras without a mistake. Several persons ques- 

 tioned were unable to give us the meaning of the word, but one gentleman 

 thought that it was probably derived from cerar, to shut or block ofl:', and 

 tonga, a current of water. 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 



In concluding this narrative we wish to thank many friends and ac- 

 quaintances not mentioned by name, who gave us advice and assistance, and 

 added to the pleasure and effectiveness of our trip. At all times we were 

 shown the greatest courtesy and kindness by those with whom we came in 

 contact in Colombia. 



