TURRUCARES AND RIO GRANDE DE TARCOLES 371 



bercles and were still green, hard and unripe. Professor 

 Tristan told me that they remain hard even when ripe but 

 have a pleasant acid taste. The name "guacimo" in com- 

 bination with some adjective is also applied to some trees 

 of the lime and linden family. 



We went down a zigzag road into the ravine or quebrada 

 of the Rio Tizate, a clear water stream with low banks 

 where we struck it, and fairly well shaded. Close to the 

 water was flying a bright red, exceedingly slender-bodied 

 dragonfly which I had described in 1907 from specimens 

 from Guatemala and Honduras as Protoneura amatoria. It 

 was hitherto unknown from Costa Rica. The colors of its 

 eyes are remarkable, although owing to their small size a 

 pocket lens is needed to appreciate them. They form three 

 horizontal bands on each eye, the uppermost bright red, 

 the middle band dark brown, the lowermost pale green. At 

 the same place was another dragonfly, Argia oenea, found 

 throughout Central America and Mexico, the male of which 

 is colored brilliant metallic copper on the upper surface of the 

 thorax and has eyes of equally striking colors. Each orb is 

 bright red above and in front, dark brown behind and in 

 part of the middle, and gray below. The eye of the female 

 of Protoneura amatoria is similar in color to that of the male 

 although the red band is less bright and less extensive. The 

 eye of the female of Argia oenea lacks the red altogether, 

 being dark brown above and gray below. Unfortunately 

 the eye colors fade almost completely after death, even 

 when those of the body are fairly well preserved; their sig- 

 nificance, if they have any, is unknown. 



The following day (December 23) we went again to the 

 Rio Tizate but higher up in its course. To do so we walked 

 south through the main street of the very small and poor 

 village of Turrucares. But with this disparaging remark 

 should be coupled the record of our experience on the day of 



