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Show 1878.] MR. A. BOUCARD ON BIRDS FROM COSTA RICA. 39 This excursion lasted a fortnight. During that time I made a good collection of bird-skins, amongst them a female of the rare Cotingine bird, Carpodectes nitidus, quite new to science ; also many other good species, as Myrmotherula melcena, Urospatha martii, Prionirhynchus carinatus, Crypturus boucardi, &c. All the time I had to work at a great disadvantage. On the trunk of a tree I prepared m y skins, with an empty box for a seat. Pigs and ants were always ready to do mischief; and I lost several good specimens of birds by pigs devouring them when they were drying in the sun. M y other excursions were to Cartago, Aguas Calientes, Navarro, Orozi, the Volcano of Irazu, Candelaria, Naranjo, &c. Cartago is a town of about 10,000 inhabitants. It was formerly the capital; but owing to the frequent earthquakes felt there, and the great destruction of property occasioned by the same, the government was transferred to San Jose. The town is built at the base of the Volcano of Irazu, in a beautiful valley which varies from three to six miles in width and is about ten in length. Aguas Calientes is a very prosperous village, only two miles and a half from Cartago. Although at such a short distance, it is much warmer, being well sheltered from the north wind, and about 250 feet lower. A few miles further, going north-east, are the small villages of Navarro and Orozi, the localities for Phainoptila melanoxantha, Chlorophonia callophrys, Geotrygon costaricensis, Tetragonops frantzii, &c.; and if you still go further north, you reach Tucuriqui, the locality where Arce procured the type-specimen ( 3 ) of Carpodectes nitidus. All these localities are from 500 to 2500 feet lower than Cartago, and the fauna is very rich. Naranjo is the name of a very important hacienda, belonging to to the Tenoco family. Lately a small village of the same name has been formed by the workmen of the hacienda. It stands on the road from San Jose' to Limon (the Atlantic port). This locality is very good for a naturalist, lying between the volcanoes of Irazu and Turrialba. In a few hours you can change your altitude from 1500 to 8000 feet or more if you choose; consequently there is a great variety of species to be got. The forests are luxuriant, due chiefly to the climate, which is very wet. It rains nearly all the year round. I found there many of the same species met with at San Carlos. From Cartago I made several excursions to tbe Volcano of Irazu. Up to the altitude of 6000 feet you only see maize- and wheat-plantations, occasionally some potreros (plains) where they fatten cattle, until you reach a small village called Potrero cerrado, where they cultivate potatoes extensively. A little further on begins the forest, where a species of oak tree is very abundant. Then the fauna changes entirely. You do not meet any more with the species of birds found in the valley, but such others as Ptilogonys caudatus, Setophaga aurantiaca and S. torquata, Parula gutturalis, Pezopetes capitalis, &c. Further on, at the altitude of from 7000 to 8000 feet |
