l6 A YEAR OF COSTA RICAN NATURAL HISTORY 



leaf — twenty to thirty feet long — apparently springs from, 

 or very near, the ground, instead of from the top of a dis- 

 tinct trunk. The number of great leaves is such as to hide 

 the trunk within. This forest extended to a point between 

 Waterloo and Estrada stations, sixteen and twenty miles 

 respectively from Limon. Swamp palms also occurred 

 along the railroad leading from Limon southward to the 

 Banana River. The banana planters say, "Wherever 

 swamp palms are growing, it's no use to plant bananas 

 there." 



Siquirres, the starting point and terminus of trains on the 

 Santa Clara division, was an important shifting station for 

 the railroad and, in the early months of our year, was head- 

 quarters for engineers and others engaged in the replace- 

 ment of the bridge over the Reventazon River, but is not an 

 attractive place. In May and June, 1909, the railroad 

 crossed the Pacuare and Reventazon Rivers on temporary 

 wooden bridges. We saw the ironwork of former bridges, 

 swept away by floods in the preceding December and Jan- 

 uary, lying here and there in the stream-beds, but before 

 November new steel bridges had been put in place. At 

 Las Lomas the banks of the Reventazon, along which the 

 railway is cut, are particularly soft and wash much with 

 every heavy rain, both above and below the tracks. These 

 "slides" are a constant source of expense due to the fre- 

 quent repairs they entail and unfortunately they are by no 

 means limited to the vicinity of Las Lomas. Every now 

 and then they cause delays in the running of trains lasting 

 from a few hours to several days. 



Along the Reventazon from La Junta nearly to Turrialba 

 the railroad lies in the river valley and the tracks are not 

 very far above the water level. They wind with the wind- 

 ings of the rushing stream, which with the high trees and the 

 fern-grown banks contribute to make this part of the ride 



