WEST AND NORTH OF CART AGO 93 



tains Irazu, Zurqui, Barba and Poas, terminating westward 

 at the Aguacate Mountains while in the valley enclosed by 

 these volcanoes I could plainly see the towns of Tres Rios, 

 San Jose, Heredia and Alajuela, the last-named distant 

 about eighteen miles. Between Irazu and Zurqui the pass 

 of La Palma gave me a glimpse of low-lying clouds evidently 

 overhanging the plains of Santa Clara while above the 

 clouds was a perfectly clear horizontal line which suggested 

 the Atlantic Ocean but must have been some sort of mirage. 



Crossing over this spur gave a fine view of Cartago and its 

 surroundings, although I could not certainly make out Pa- 

 raiso. To the west was the highest point of La Carpintera, 

 about a mile away; it was apparently covered with forest to 

 the top so that it seemed as if no one point there was suffi- 

 ciently open to afford a view in all directions. 



There were no Alpine plants on this spur of Carpintera. 

 I noted the familiar targua, escobilla, guacamayo, the blue 

 sage, a pokeberry {Phytolacca sp.) as well as the beautiful 

 "San Miguel" (the melastome Blake a gracilis) and Monnina 

 costaricensis. 



La Carpintera has many pretty spots along the trail fol- 

 lowed, which does not pass through any old forest; small 

 flowing streams begin high up on this spur. Descending by 

 the way I had come until near the bottom, I found some in- 

 sects new to me in the shape of brilliant metallic green 

 Chrysomelid beetles, butterflies, and my first female Libel- 

 lula foliata (a dragonfly). Then instead of returning to 

 Tres Rios I turned oflF eastward hoping to reach El Alto in 

 time to catch a train, due about 3.30, for Cartago. I might 

 have done so if I had not stopped to stalk (and eventually 

 catch) a couple of dragonflies of two species {Brechmorhoga 

 pertinax eurysema and Macrothemis pseudimitans), which I 

 had previously taken only at lower levels. Similarly unex- 

 pected was the sight of four green parrakeets {Conurus) 



