The Naturalist in Nicaragua: A Narrative of a Residence at the Gold Mines of ... - Thomas Belt - Google Books

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CONTENTS. .

Arrival at Greytown—The river San Juan-Silting up of the

harbour-Crossing the bar-Lives lost on it-Sharks-Chris.

topher Columbus-Appearance of the town-Trade-Healthi-

ness of the town and its probable cause—Comparison between

Greytown, Pernambuco, and Maceio-Wild fruits—Plants-

Parrots, toucans, and tanagers — Butterflies and beetles —

Mimetic forms—Alligators : boy drowned at Blewfields by

one—Their method of catching wild pigs . . . .

Commence journey up San Juan river—Palms and wild canes-

Plantations-The Colorado river-Proposed improvement of

the river-Progress of the Delta-Mosquitoes—Disagreeable

night-Fine morning—Vegetation of the banks–Seripiqui

river—Mot-mots-Foraging ants : their method of hunting

- Ant-thrushes — They attack the nests of other ants —

Birds? nests, how preserved from them—Reasoning powers

in ants—Parallel between the mammalia and the hymen-

optera-Utopia . . .

. . . . .

II

Journey up river continued — Wild pigs and jaguar – Bungos —

Reach Machuca-Castillo–Capture of Castillo by Nelson-

India-rubber trade-Rubber-men-Method of making India-

rubber-Congo monkeys-Macaws—The Savallo river-En-

durance of the boatmen-San Carlos-Interoceanic canal — .

Advantages of the Nicaraguan route—The Rio Frio–Stories

about the wild Indians—Indian captive children-Expedi-

tions up the Rio Frio-American river steamboats . .

The lake of Nicaragua—Ometepec—Becalmed on the lake-White

egrets-Reach San Ubaldo-Ride across the plains—Vegeta-

tion of the plains-Armadillo-Savannahs—Jicara trees-

Jicara bowls—Origin of gourd-shaped pottery-Coyotes-

Mule-breeding-Reach Acoyapo—Festa-Cross high range-

Esquipula—The Rio Mico-Supposed statues on its banks -

Pital—Cultivation of maize-Its use from the earliest times in

America-Separation of the maize-eating from the mandioca-

eating indigenes of America — Tortillas — Sugar-making -

Enter the forest of the Atlantic slope-Vegetation of the

forest-Muddy roads-Arrive at Santo Domingo . . . 43

Geographical position of Santo Domingo–Physical geography,

The inhabitants-Mixed racesNegroes and Indians com-

pared—Women-Establishment of the Chontales Gold-Min-

ing Company_My house and garden-Fruits—Plantains and

bananas; probably not indigenous to America : propagated

from shoots : do not generally mature their seeds—Fig-trees-

Granadillas and papaws–Vegetables-Dependence of flowers

on insects for their fertilisation-Insect plagues—Leaf-cutting

ants : their method of defoliating trees : their nests—Some

trees are not touched by the ants-Foreign trees are very sub-

ject to their attack—Method of destroying the ants-Migra-

tion of the ants from a nest attacked-Corrosive sublimate

causes a sort of madness amongst them-Indian plan of pre-

venting them ascending young trees—Leaf-cutting ants are

fungus-growers and eaters-Sagacity of the ants . . . 61

Configuration of the ground at Santo Domingo-Excavation of

valleys–Geology of the district-Decomposition of the rocks

-Gold-mining-Auriferous quartz veins— Mode of occurrence

of the gold-Lodes richer next the surface than at lower

depths-Excavation and reduction of the ore-Extraction of

the gold—“Mantos”—Origin of mineral veins : their connec-

tion with intrusions of plutonic rocks . . . . .

Climate of the north-eastern side of Nicaragua–Excursions around

Santo Domingo—The Artigua-Corruption of ancient names

-Butterflies, spiders, and wasps—Humming-birds, beetles,

and ants—Plants and trees - Timber—Monkey attacked by

eagle-White-faced monkey-Anecdotes of a tame one-

Curassows and other game birds—Trogons, woodpeckers, mot-

mots, and toucans . . . . . . . . 103

Description of San Antonio valley-Great variety of animal life

-Pitcher-flowered Marcgravias-Flowers fertilised by hum-

ming birds-By insects—Provision in some flowers to prevent

insects, not adapted for carrying the pollen, from obtaining

access to the nectaries—Stories about wasps-Humming-birds

bathing-Singular myriapods—Ascent of Peña Blanca—Tapirs

and jaguars-Summit of Peña Blanca . . . . . 126

Journey to Juigalpa-Description of Libertad—The priest and

the bell— Migratory butterflies and moths—Indian graves-

Ancient names—Dry river-beds—Monkeys and wasps—Reach

Juigalpa-Ride in neighbourhood-Abundance of small birds

-A poor cripple—The “ Toledo " - Trogons—Waterfall —

Sepulchral mounds-Broken statues—The sign of the cross-

Contrast between the ancient and the present inhabitants-

Night life . . . . . . . . . . 150

Juigalpa-A Nicaraguan family—Description of the road from

Juigalpa to Santo Domingo-Comparative scarcity of insects

in Nicaragua in 1872—Water-bearing plants-Insect-traps-

The south-western edge of the forest region-Influence of

cultivation upon it-Sagacity of the mule . . . . 176

Start on journey to Segovia—Rocky mountain road—A poor lodg.

ing—The rock of Cuapo—The use of large beaks in some

birds—Comoapa-A native doctor—Vultures-Flight of birds

that soar-Natives live from generation to generation on the

same spot-Do not give distinctive names to the rivers-

Caribs barter guns and iron pots for dogs—The hairless dogs

of tropical America-Difference between artificial and natural

selection—The cause of sterility between allied species consi-

dered–The disadvantages of a covering of hair to a domesti-

cated animal in a tropical country . . . . . 191

Olama — The “Sanate” — Muy-muy-- Idleness of the people —

Mountain road— The “Bull Rock”—The bull's-horn thorn-

Ants kept as standing armies by some plants-Use of honey.

secreting glands-Plant-lice, scale-insects, and leaf-hoppers

furnish ants with honey, and in return are protected by the

latter-Contest between wasps and ants—Waxy secretions of

the homopterous hemiptera . . . . . . . 212

Matagalpa-Aguardiente-Fermented liquors of the Indians—The

wine-palm-Idleness of the Nicaraguans-Pine and oak forests

- Mountain gorge—Jinotega—Native plough-Descendants

of the buccaneers—San Rafael-A mountain hut. . . 231

Great range composed of boulder clay- Daraily-Lost on the

savannahs—Jamailý-A deer-hunter's family—Totagalpa-

Walls covered with cement and whitewashed-Ocotal—The

valley of Depilto—Silver mine-Geology of the valley—Glacial

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