G-abb.] ^-^^ [Aug. 20, 



Nicoya, where at present no Indians live, are placed Orotinans and 

 Guetares. Further, no tribes are placed in South-western Costa Rica, 

 where the semi-civilized Terrabas and Brunkas live ; but on p. 748, the 

 author states that "dwelling in the western part of the state are the 

 Tei'rabas and Changuenas, fierce and barbarous nations, at constant 

 enmity with their neighbors." Now the Terrabas, as well as their neigh- 

 bors the Brunkas, or as the Spaniards call them, the Borucas, live in one 

 or two little villages, and are under the complete control of missionary 

 priests, both ecclesiastically and municipally, and are rapidly losing 

 their language, as they have their savage customs, and are approaching 

 the civilized condition of the villages of Pacaca, Coa, Quiricot, &c., in 

 Costa Rica, where the Indians speak only Spanish, and have even lost 

 the traditions of their former state. Again, the Changuinas formerly 

 occupied the valley of the Changutna or Changina River, the main 

 branch of the Tilorio, on the Atlantic slope, and are either entirely ex- 

 tinct, or only represented by a handful of individuals, swallowed up by 

 the neighboring Tiribis on one side, and the Valientes on the other. 



In the proper place I have noted what can be said of the Guatusos ; 

 there is nothing to add, until a responsible observer has the good fortune 

 to penetrate their country, and survive to tell his tale. 



On p. 793 of Vol. 3, is a very short vocabulary of "the language of the 

 Talamancas, " copied from the publication of Scherzer. This traveler 

 did not visit Talamanca, but from internal evidence I believe the 

 words to have been obtained from some of the half-civilized Cabecars of 

 Tucuriqui or Orosi, little villages not far from Cartago. In evidence of 

 its unreliability, I note two or three of the most glaring ei-rors of the 



list. 



"Man signa-kirinema. Woman signa-aragre." 



Here signa, clearly a clerical error for sigua, means foreigner, and the 

 word given for woman — sigua erakur means foreign woman. So, the 

 prefix sa and su before the names of parts of the body is the personal 

 pronoun — our. Siihu is saTiu "our house." "I he-he,^^ is really tliou, the 

 error arising from the Indian answering thou, when he was asked, "how 

 do you say I," the interlocutor doubtless pointing to himself. Fortun- 

 ately the vocabulary is very short, but I am sure there are not more than 

 three or four words in it that would be intelligible to a Costa Rican In- 

 dian. 



