145 
Mr. O. Salvin's Quesal-shooting in Vera Paz . 
colouring of the soft parts is as follows:—Iris very dark hazel. 
Eyelid black. Bill yellow, with an olive tinge at the base, ex¬ 
tending over the nostril along one-third of the upper and two- 
thirds of the under mandible. Legs and toes olive; soles of 
the feet more yellow. Claws horny olive. 
The following morning, March 13, we make an early start 
for the same forests, intending to take a wide* circuit and return 
to our camp under the rock the same evening. Five Quesals 
and a Pava (Penelope purpurascens) are the result of our day's 
work. 
March 14.—Having accomplished the great object of my 
expedition, viz. to see a Quesal myself, I find my time too 
valuable to bestow more attention on them, when so many other 
objects of interest lie within my reach. I accordingly leave 
Cipriano and Filipe to hunt up birds, whilst I confine my 
attention to the ferns, shells, &c. I have never visited these 
forests of Vera Paz before, and my impression is that they are 
almost the best worth seeing of anything in Guatemala. The 
forests of the coasts are rich in all the beauties which have been 
the theme of so many travellers, but they have their disadvan¬ 
tages. The excessive heat is always a drawback; and if garra- 
patas abound, one's enjoyment is gone. In these mountain-forests 
it is otherwise; no garrapatas, no mosquitos, and a climate that 
in the diy season might challenge any in the world. Most 
parts are c montana limpia ' (forest free from brushwood), and 
one may ramble where one pleases, without being stopped by 
dense thickets. What strikes the eye most is the number of 
ferns, not only of plants, but species. Every tree is clasped and 
every stone clothed with them. Besides, there are many arbo¬ 
rescent species, and others of terrestrial habit. Palms of low 
growth and various form also are a marked characteristic of the 
forest. Few sounds are heard; the low murmur of insects con¬ 
trasts strangely with the din of the coast forests. Birds are not 
often met with. An occasional Creeper (Denclrocolaptes) may be 
seen or its cry heard; the peculiar thrilling notes of the Ruisenor^ 
the distant call of a Trogon, the cooing of a Pigeon, the melan¬ 
cholywailing of the Pava ( Penelope purpurascens) , or the noisier 
call of the Colola ( Tinamus ), include nearly all the sounds one 
