GUJNACJSTE—PUNTARENAS TO LIBERIA 437 



These fumaroles or solfataras are pools of warm or hot 

 water, In the latter case bubbling and boiling, all more or 

 less clouded with the white clay in which they lie. They are 

 of varying sizes. The largest one occupied a basin whose rim 

 was 2400 feet above sea-level, whose depth was about 30 feet 

 and whose diameter at bottom I estimated to be about 80 

 feet in its longest (N. E. to S. W.) dimension. Its sides were 

 more or less sloping so that one could easily ascend and de- 

 scend and here and there little jets of steam were given off, 

 or hot water bubbled up and trickled down to the pool in 

 the bottom of the basin. I noticed two small openings, 

 each two to three inches in diameter, within which a thick 

 milk-like liquid could easily be seen rising and falling as 

 It bubbled and made a snorting sound. At intervals the 

 "milk" rose a little higher than usual and a few spurts flew 

 out of the opening. In this as in other fumaroles were 

 patches of the white clay mixed with red or yellow sulphur, in 

 some places firm enough to stand on, in others soft and 

 pasty. Some fragments which we brought from here have 

 been identified as limonite or goethite with some basic ferric 

 sulphate. The largest fumarole had a small outlet draining 

 eastward to a brook. On the other side of this brook and 

 nearly 100 feet lower than the largest fumarole was another, 

 much smaller, remarkable because it was so near the brook 

 — probably not more than ten feet away and above it — and 

 for the considerable amount of steam constantly rising from 

 it. We were unable to cross this brook to examine this 

 little fumarole more closely. We had no thermometer 

 with us, but the water in some of the pools was so hot 

 that one could only endure to dip a fingertip and in- 

 stantly withdraw it. We perceived no difference between 

 the vegetation surrounding the pools and that growing 

 farther away. I saw a single grasshopper on the side of 

 the largest fumarole but insects in general were scarce — 



