152 
THE CONDOR 
| Von. VII 
rades than these excellent ornithologists and enthusiastic collectors, and I consider 
myself most fortunate to have been favored by their companionship in a country 
where everything was new to me and where natural conditions were often such 
that I could not alone have even reached the localities where collections were made. 
In a country where everything is novel and full of interest even but six 
months’ experience embraces far too much to be told in a few pages; consequently 
I shall attempt only a brief account in this article. 
Before arrival of my outfit only three trips to a considerable distance from San 
Jose were made; to Santo Domingo de San Mateo,. (December 30 to January 2), to 
the summit of the volcano of Poas (January 21 to 23), and to Pigres, on the Pacific 
Coast (February 2 to 5). The last named place having been visited a second time 
(after arrival ot the outfit) and some three weeks spent there, a somewhat detailed 
account of that locality and our experiences there will be given further on. 
Santo Domingo de San Mateo is the present terminus of the railroad from San 
Jose to the Pacific, and is situated on the upper edge of the coast plain about thir- 
ty miles from Punta Arenas, the Pacific port, with which connection is made by 
horseback and car- 
rata. For a consider- 
able distance around 
the town the country 
is cleared and under 
cultivation or in pas- 
ture, the nearest forest 
being along the Rio 
Grande de Tarcoles, a 
fewmiles to the south- 
east. In some of the 
potreros (pastures) are 
patches of woodland 
of limited extent, 
mostly along the 
small streams flowing 
into the Rio Grande. 
As little time was 
spent here, and there 
was but one gun between us (Mr. Alfaro being my companion on this occasion) 
few birds were obtained, the only one of special interest being Pteroglossus frantzii , 
a rare toucan, six or seven of which I had the tantalizing pleasure of watching in 
a tree close by while Alfaro was elsewhere with the gun. Our time was too limit- 
ed to allow of a visit to the forest along the Rio Grande, just beyond which loomed 
high and inviting the noble peak of Turuvales, completely covered with primitive 
forest and never even visited by a naturalist! 
Poas (8700 feet) is the only active volcano in Costa Rica, and is in plain view 
from San Jose as are also Irazu and Barba, the last lying between the other two. 
Starting from Poas we proceeded by rail from San Jose to Alajuela, where we took 
horses and rode to San Pedro de Alajuela, remaining over night and resuming our 
journey, by bright moonlight, at four o’clock next morning. Reaching the lecheria 
(dairy farm) at the upper edge of the cleared zone after daybreak we rested a few 
a Names of localities are so frequently duplicated in Spanish American countries that in order to be precise it is 
necessary to give the name of the province or canton in addition to that of the town or settlement Neglect of col- 
lectors to do this has caused many serious errors in books concerning the range of species. 
