GUANACASTE—SANTA CRUZ 469 



them, they rose and left the island In a cloud and crossed to 

 the opposite bank or to a nearby smaller island where they 

 alighted on the trees. A favorite tree on the latter gave us 

 an excellent view of them, and it was curious to see the 

 spoonbills as they all faced in the same way (south) and as- 

 sumed the same position, remaining stationary and almost 

 immovable for a half hour or so. 



At almost every step we crushed beneath our feet the 

 empty shells of fresh-water molluscs of which there were a 

 great number on the island, suggesting that these snails 

 formed part of the food of the birds. The shells were 

 chiefly those of Planorbis tenuis, a species widely spread in 

 Mexico. 



On January 31 we took leave of those persons in Santa 

 Cruz who had shown us particular attentions — Senor Bo- 

 nilla, Padre Velasco and Senor Miguel Velasquez Rocha, 

 inspector of schools, to whom we were indebted for permis- 

 sion to remain in the schoolhouse after the other members 

 of the Commission had left Santa Cruz. The last-named 

 showed us some rough maps which he had made for his own 

 use in connection with his work as inspector. Maps of 

 Costa Rica, such as that published by the Bureau of Ameri- 

 can Republics in Washington, 1903, Pittier's map of the 

 same date and of 191 2 and an older one carried by Senor 

 Obregon, all contain numerous errors in Guanacaste. Rivers 

 are shown on the wrong side of towns, or flowing in the wrong 

 direction, relative distances between towns are incorrect, 

 etc. Senor Velasquez' maps concerned only the imme- 

 diate neighborhood of Santa Cruz but, made from personal 

 knowledge, are more accurate than the published ones and 

 gave us considerable information as to local names, stream 

 courses and roads. Senor Villar, of the Commission, was 

 making similar maps at Liberia, to include eventually all 

 Guanacaste. 



