SANTA CLARA 275 



On the afternoon of June 2, Mr. Barnes, taking his gun to 

 try for a wild turkey, led me north from Salvador past the 

 original and much plainer farmhouse and the machine shop 

 to a pasture where the calves were kept. Crossing this we 

 reached and crossed the Rio Guapiles by a rough bridge. 

 From this point the river was bordered by a narrow strip of 

 woods and undergrowth separated by grassy pastures from 

 banana fields lying farther east. Mr. Barnes left me here 

 to examine the possibilities, but neither of us did much for 

 it soon became very dark and fearing a general downpour 

 we hastened back to the house. 



Saturday, June 5, was devoted to this strip of woods along 

 the Rio Guapiles, as on the previous hurried visit I had no- 

 ticed some Palcsmnema, a genus of dragonflles peculiar to 

 Mexico, Central America and northern South America, of 

 which I had never seen many specimens. I was not dis- 

 appointed for this day too they were abundant in the low 

 plants a foot or two high growing In the fairly dark shadows 

 of the trees. They had the peculiarity of remaining closely 

 in one place and not flying swiftly or vigorously, so that in 

 most cases I could, with a little caution, pick them up with 

 thumb and forefinger more readily than secure them with a 

 net. They also had the peculiarity of keeping the body 

 motionless in the same position and location In the air while 

 the wings vibrated rapidly, thus suggesting a habit of the 

 hover-fiies or Syrphldse. Without much exertion and with- 

 out extermination, I gathered fifty-four specimens of two 

 species of the genus {paulina and nathalia) whereas for the 

 Biologia Centrali-Americana the various museums had been 

 able to furnish only seventeen specimens of five species and 

 of these seven were Imperfect while my catch of to-day was 

 perfect. Another matter of interest Is that these two spe- 

 cies, which completely Intermingled and did not, so far as I 

 could see, possess different habits, were not the two most 



