WEST AND NORTH OF CART AGO 9 1 



day and the blustriness was rather disagreeable in certain 

 exposed spots. 



On September 25, Professor Tristan and P. were at Ocho- 

 mogo. The laguna is in the midst of a pasture enclosed hy 

 barbed wire fences and on entering we received permission 

 from a man working there to go around the laguna and catch 

 insects. We employed ourselves in this fashion from eight 

 o'clock until noon, when the sky became very threatening 

 and more rain was falling than previously during the day. 

 There were a great many frogs all around the edge of the 

 swampy area, a number of swallows skimmed swiftly over 

 the center; once a large brown heron (?) was disturbed by 

 our presence and we saw a few wild ducks. The fields bor- 

 dering the pasture contained chiefly maize, some of it very 

 high, perhaps ten to twelve feet, and in tassel. 



As we left the field bordering the laguna, we paused by a 

 house and as it was raining and three hours before the next 

 train for Cartago and no shelter at the "station," Professor 

 Tristan asked permission to wait at the farmhouse. This re- 

 quest led to an exciting dialogue. The farmer at once accused 

 us of "disregarding the rights of the proprietor"; when told 

 that his brother had given us permission to pass around 

 the laguna he admitted that, but said we had no permission 

 to hunt ducks. Professor Tristan replied that we had 

 not hunted ducks and that if we had any we would pay for 

 them. The farmer retorted that we would pay for them by 

 being shot, while Professor Tristan called out that if he 

 shot us we would send him to San Lucas (the penal island). 

 The farmer ran indoors and brought out a double-barreled 

 shot-gun and came near us threateningly, Professor Tristan 

 explaining calmly what we were doing; but the farmer dis- 

 believed our story, saying that although we had no guns we 

 were hunting ducks with our insect nets ! We offered to open 

 our boxes and show him that no ducks were there and th^ 



