288 A YEAR OF COSTA RICAN NATURAL HISTORY 



but although they still contained water and various in- 

 sects, including the beetles Alegoria sallcei and Metamasius 

 ochreofasciatus, there were no dragonfly larvae. In all I 

 must have spent two hours on a dozen plants which had 

 been fifteen to twenty feet above the ground. The next 

 day we pulled down a fair-sized bromeliad, perched ten 

 feet up on a tree, by means of a convenient, nearby liana; 

 still no Odonate larvae. Thus although fifteen bromeliads 

 at least were examined during our stay at La Emilia, all 

 containing insects, some or all of which were associated in 

 the same plant with dragonfly larvae at Juan Vinas, not a 

 single one of the last named was found. However, none of 

 these bromeliads were in actual forest, but were on trees 

 forming a mere fringe along the Rio Santa Clara, or were in 

 open potreros, and the situations may account for the ab- 

 sence of these particular insects. 



We had very few adult dragonflies to show for our stay at 

 La Emilia, owing to the little sunshine and much cloudiness 

 and rain. Our object was, indeed, to observe these insects 

 under wet season conditions, but usually the mornings are 

 bright even in this period, whereas we encountered a "tem- 

 poral" or steady rain of several days' duration. The 

 slightness of our results was doubtless due to the absence of 

 sunshine. 



When P. left Guapiles on June 6, he took the train for 

 Guacimo, about eight miles to the east on the way back to 

 La Junta, Mr. Reed having telephoned the night before to 

 Mr. Stable, the Mandador or manager, that I would come. 

 Mr. Stable (originally from Stuttgart) met me near the 

 station and took me to the house, much less pretentious and 

 comfortable than Salvador and tenanted by men only with 

 the single exception of a Costa Rican(.^) woman cook. I 

 was given a room at the east end of the second floor having 

 two windows and three doors, and stayed here two days. 



