2o8 A YEAR OF COSTA RICAN NATURAL HISTORY 



tions prevailing at this season on the Pacific slope from 

 which I had recently come. At Quebrada Honda chayotes 

 were being harvested from the steep slopes. Patches of 

 blue sky began to appear and by four o'clock very few 

 clouds remained, but the bright sunshine brought little in- 

 crease in the insects. Never had Juan Vifias appeared so 

 poor in this respect; only two species of dragonflies, Argia 

 extranea and Anisagrion allopterum, could I find, and these 

 two are abundant at Cartago throughout the year. "By 

 six o'clock clouds were gathering again and at seven a strong 

 easterly wind was blowing, and the candle flames by whose 

 light I write these words, although sheltered within 'our' 

 little cabin, flicker uncomfortably." 



Our acquaintance with our friend the "nearer waterfall" 

 terminated most unexpectedly. On April 30 we went up the 

 railroad tracks to visit it again but found that a landslide 

 had occurred changing the rock bed from the tracks up to 

 the foot of the fall very greatly. We climbed up a short 

 way to reconnoiter, saw that some small trees had fallen 

 across the bed blocking our usual path and that rocks 

 larger than one's body had been rolled down and many of 

 them left in very unstable positions. In fact the changes 

 since our last visit four days before were far greater than at 

 any time during the ten preceding months in which we had 

 known this fall and we found it impossible to ascend. On 

 inquiry we learned that on April 28 two distinct falls of 

 rock had been heard in the direction of this waterfall, with 

 the crashing of branches and the odor of newly disturbed 

 forest earth. Never again were we able to reach the foot of 

 this waterfall. But we had our Thaumatoneura; and it was 

 our good fortune that we had found so many treasures here 

 before the landslide occurred! 



