330 National Geographic Magazine. 



various expeditions in that country has ever been bitten, and 

 in hundreds of miles of tramping through the worst forests 

 of the country, either entirely alone or if accompanied by natives, 

 with them some distance in the rear, 1 have never fancied myself 

 in danger. The poisonous snakes are invariably sluggish, and 

 unless actually struck or stepped upon are apt to try to get out 

 of the way, if they make any move. The only snake that is at 

 all aggressive, as far as my observations go, is a long, black, 

 non-poisonous snake. This will sometimes advance upon the 

 intruder with head raised a couple of feet from the ground, 

 or if coiled about a tree will lash at him with its tail. 



The floral exhibit of these forests is apt to be disappointing to 

 one whose ideas have been formed by a perusal of books. An 

 occasional scarlet passion flower ; now and then the fragrant cluster 

 of the floT del toro ; a few insignificant though fragrant flowering 

 shrubs ; and in muddy sloughs near the streams, patches of wild 

 callas ; are about all that meet the eye of the non-botanical wan- 

 derer in the deep foi'est. 



There is not light enough for flowers beneath the dense canopy 

 of trees, and they, like the smaller birds, seek the tree tops and 

 the banks of the river whei'e sunlight and air are abundant. In 

 the tree tops the orchids and other flowering parasites run riot. 

 Many of the trees are themselves flowering, and if one can look 

 down upon the tree tops of a valley in March or April, he sees the 

 green expanse enlivened by blazing patches of crimson, yellow, 

 purple, pink, and white. 



The river banks are the favorite home of the flowering vines, 

 and there they form great curtains swaying from the trees in 

 bright patterns of yellow, j)ink, red and white. The grassy 

 banks and islands, and the shallow sand spits also bring forth 

 innumerable varieties of aquatic plants. 



So much for the Atlantic slope of the country. 



On the west side between the Lake and the Pacific the work 

 is very different. There it is possible to ride mule back to the 

 top of a commanding hill, sit down and make the reconnaissance 

 sketch at leisure. The secondary reconnaissances may also be 

 made mule-back, and everywhere the rolling country and the 

 cleared and cultivated fields, permit the engineer to see where he 

 is going and how he is going. 



His surroundings are also different. He moves camp in an ox- 

 cart instead of a canoe.. His eyes instead of being confined by 



