THE COTTA WOOD. 197 



The late Lansdowne Guilding has described an 

 insect closely allied to the Ant-lions (Ascalaphus Mac- 

 leayanus), but readily distinguished from them by its 

 long thread-like antennas, terminating in an abrupt 

 knob. That zoologist found it at St. Vincents; it 

 is just now rather common around Content, in St. 

 Elizabeths. It rests like a Noctua, with defiexed 

 wings, and carries the abdomen elevated and point- 

 ing upwards at a high angle. The larva of this 

 genus, though in form mvich resembling the Ant-lion, 

 differs from it in habit, never constructing a pitfall. 



THE COTTA-WOOD. 



The narrow bridle-path which descends steeply 

 into the dense bush from the high road just below 

 Content leads us down a precipitous and dangerous 

 track to the foot of the hill. Here we emerge into 

 another track crossing the former at right angles, 

 scarcely more passable. It leads, if we turn to the 

 left, through the most gloomy and savage scenes, — a 

 valley dark at noon from the loftiness of the pillar- 

 like trees, whose foliage intertwines far above ; the 

 bed of a turbid and impetuous torrent in the rainy 

 season, half filled with enormous masses of limestone 

 embraced and overspread by the fantastic roots of 

 the huge Mahoganies, Broadleaves, and Santa Marias, 

 perhaps a thousand years old. Little underwood 

 grows here, from the lack of light ; so that there is 

 no interruption to vision, save that arising from the 

 gloom and from the columnar trunks of the trees. 

 Some of these are indeed gigantic, especially such as 

 send out immense spurs and buttresses, like diverging 



