JUAN VINAS— AROUND THE LAGUNA 173 



years before any attempts were made to drain it and hence 

 was locally known as the laguna. At the time of our first 

 visit, two ditches had been dug across it. One of these was 

 near its eastern edge, the other crossed it from northwest 

 to southeast approximately, in continuation of a small brook 

 descending the crater slopes. The first ditch was begun 

 about October, 1908, Mr. Cochenour said; at its northern 

 end it received the waters of the Rio Naranjo, which on 

 leaving the crater at the southeast edge formed a waterfall 

 in a narrow gorge and rushed down to the Reventazon. Be- 

 tween July and October, 1909, a third ditch bordering the 

 laguna on its southern edge had been dug. The result will, 

 of course, be that the swamp will become dry land, even- 

 tually to be planted in maize and then in coffee, and plant 

 and animal life will be greatly changed. Part of its area 

 was used for grazing cattle during our visits. From the 

 collector's point of view the ditches made the inner parts of 

 the laguna more accessible and to that extent at least were 

 an improvement. 



In February and March the south and west ditches were 

 bordered with great quantities of Eleocharis and other water 

 plants, while the water itself contained in places much stone- 

 wort (Chara or Nitella). Toward the center of the laguna 

 was a large patch of handsome mallows {Hibiscus sp., near 

 uncinellus but distinct) with vivid dark red flowers and a 

 spiny stem very evil to handle. March also showed many 

 red-stemmed, pale pink- or white-blossomed begonias, 

 which with some clumps of low spiny-stemmed tree-ferns 

 were perhaps relics of a previously wooded condition. When- 

 ever we went into the laguna we usually found some new 

 object of interest; on October 5 it was the curious plant 

 Monstera with its lacerated leaves, also a forest dweller by 

 nature. In the same visit the edge of the laguna showed the 

 red torches of the gorgeous-flowered Odontonema flagellum, 



