SURUBRES AND OROTINA 387 



were three rooms besides kitchen and outer sheds, and across 

 the front was a porch where we ate our meals. The family 

 consisted of Don Pedro Bonnefil and his sister, who re- 

 ceived us most kindly and gave us their largest room, which 

 I think they must have used as a dining-room ordinarily. 



When the sun shone it was rather hot at Surubres but 

 the shade was cool and pleasant and we were comfortable 

 under blankets at night. The finca was beautifully located 

 and I hope we can always keep a vivid picture of our de- 

 lightful meals on the porch, particularly dinner, when the 

 sunset light was shining redly through the big trees at the 

 edge of the cane field and touching the new leaves of the 

 higueron with color so that it looked like a huge candelabrum 

 of which the lights were the buds of the tree. Across the 

 Surubres to the east was a high hill, and on Its very crest 

 a large coyol, the last tree to lose the sunset light. The sun- 

 set glow was exceedingly short-lived here but wonderful 

 during the few minutes of its existence. There were no 

 mosquitoes and we sat on the porch with a lamp until supper 

 — a meal of chocolate for us, coffee for the others, bread, 

 fresh cheese and occasionally cakes, served about eight 

 o'clock. Frogs and toads croaked, crickets chirped, colts 

 whinnied, cows lowed and now and then we saw a pair of 

 gleaming eyes as some inquisitive bull or steer came near 

 the porch to stare at the light. Don Pedro and Don Fidel 

 talked politics, Seriorita, A. and P. talked plants and scenery 

 as far as our Spanish permitted; or the Bonnefils retired and 

 took a nap while we prepared the day's catch or wrote up 

 our notes. 



As we sat on the porch at dinner or during the afternoon 

 rains, great macaws flew across the clearing, usually In pairs 

 but once three together. These were the common species 

 {Ara macao) with red, blue and yellow plumage. As the 

 short twilight fell we often heard a bird with a high mourn- 



