THE COTTA WOOD. 
197 
The late Lansdowne Guilding has described an 
insect closely allied to the Ant-lions {Ascalaphus Mac- 
leaya,nus)^ but readily distinguished from them by its 
long thread-like antennae, 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 deflexed 
wings, and carries the abdomen elevated and point- 
ing upwards at a high angle. The larva of this 
genus, though in form much 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 
