SANTA CLARA 295 



were carried by rail to Limon where they were transferred 

 to steamers of the United Fruit Company or Hamburg- 

 American Line, fitted up with cooling appliances which keep 

 the fruit at about 60° Fahrenheit during the voyage. 



Several species of dragonflies which I had not previously 

 taken at Guacimo or Guapiles rewarded me on this walk and 

 made me feel justified in the day's program. Another in- 

 teresting insect was a long-horned beetle [Ptychodes lecontei) 

 27 mm. long, whose black and yellow striped body and legs 

 spread out in various directions caused me to think it at first 

 glance, a spider, like the large black and yellow Argiope we 

 have at home. 



I left the forest about 1.30 P. M. for the long hot walk 

 back, although this day I had brought an umbrella as protec- 

 tion from the sun, which blazed fiercely down on the track. 

 A number of bright and interesting butterflies enlivened the 

 way, however. There were swarms consisting of twenty 

 to forty individuals of three species, with bright orange 

 {Callidryas argante), yellow {Callidryas trite), or white 

 {Pieris ilaire) wings, all of nearly the same size, the wing- 

 spread being two and three-eighths inches. These settled 

 near together between the tracks. As I approached they 

 rose gradually and for a few steps I would be in the very 

 center of the flying insects, realizing exactly Andrew Lang's 

 simile of "living blossoms of flying flowers." Then they 

 flew off in advance, in what from behind looked like irregular 

 confusion, but which I think was really a single file whose 

 members made a series of undulations but nevertheless 

 strictly "followed their leader." Then by and by the line 

 reassembled in a close mass on the ground until my approach 

 again dispersed them. The spots at which they settled did 

 not seem to be determined by presence of moisture as is 

 often the case. 



Where some rotting bananas lay on the ground there was 



