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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 considered— The disadvantages
of a covering of hair in a domesticated animal in a Tropical
Country
191
CHAPTER XII.
Olama—The “Sanate"-Muymuy—Idleness of the People-Moun-
tain 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
CHAPTER XIII.
Matagalpa-Aguardiente-Fermented Liquors of the Indians—The
Wine Palm -- Idleness of the Nicaraguans -- Pine and Oak
Forests--Mountain Gorge-Jinotega-Native Plough-Descend-
ants of the Buccaneers- San Rafael-A Mountain Hut
231
CHAPTER XIV.
Great Range composed of Boulder Clay—Daraily-Lost on the Savan-
nahs --Jamaily—A Deer-hunter's Family– Totagalpa — Walls
covered with Cement and Whitewashed-Ocotal—The Valley of
Depilto-Silver MineGeology of the Valley --Glacial Drift-
The Glacial Period in Central America-Evidence that the Ice
extended to the TropicsScarcity of Gold in the Valley Gravels
-Difference of the Mollusca on the East and West Coast of the
Isthmus of Darien-The Refuge of the Tropical American Animals
and Plants during the Glacial Period— The Lowering of the Sea
Level—The Land Shells of the West Indian Islands-—The Malay
Archipelago - Easter Island-Atlantis–Traditions of the Deluge. 247
A Nicaraguan Criminal-Geology between Ocotal and Totagalpa-Pre-
parations at Totagalpa for their Annual Festival-Chica-drinking
-Piety of the Indians-Ancient Civilization of Tropical America
-Palacaguina --Hospitality of the Mestizos—Curious Custom at
the Festival at Condego-Cross Range between Segovia and Mata-
galpa-Sontuli—Birds' Nests.
275
CHAPTER XVI.
Concordia—Jinotega-Indian Habits retained by the People-Indian
Names of Towns-Security of Travellers in Nicaragua-Native
Flour-milk-Uncomfortable Lodgings—Tierrabona-Dust Whirl-
wind-Initial form of a Cyclone --The origin of Cyclones. 292
CHAPTER XVII.
Cattle-raising-Don Filiberto Trano's new House Horse-flies and
Wasps—Teustepe-Spider imitating Ants-Mimetic Species--
Animals with special means of defence are conspicuously marked,
or in other ways attract attention--Accident to Horse—The
Mygale-Illness—Conclusion of Journey
CHAPTER XVIII.
Division of Nicaragua into three Zones-Journey from Juigalpa to
Lake of Nicaragua—Voyage on Lake-Fresh-water Shells and
Insects—Similarity of Fresh-water productions all over the World
- Distribution of European Land and Fresh-water Shells—Dis-
cussion of the reasons why Fresh-water productions have varied
less than those of the Land and of tbe Sea
327
CHAPTER XIX.
Iguanas and Lizards-Granada–Politics— Revolutions—Cacao Culti-
vation-Masaya, The Lake of Masaya—The Volcano of Masaya
-Origin of the Lake Basin
338
3
CHAPTER XX.
Indian Population of the country lying between the great lakes of
Nicaragua and the Pacific—Discovery and Conquest of Nicaragua
by the Spaniards--Cruelties of the Spaniards—The Indians of
Western Central America all belonged to one Stock-Decadence
of Mexican Civilization before the arrival of the Spaniards—The
designation “Nahuatls” proposed to include all the Mexican,
Western Central American, and Peruvian Races that had de-
scended from the same ancient Stock-The Nahuatls distinct
from the Caribs on one side and the Red Indians on the other-
Discussion of the question of the peopling of America
358
CHAPTER XXI.
Return to Santo Domingo-The Birds of Chontales—The Insects of
Chontales-Mimetic forms--Departure from the Mines — Nica-
ragua as a field for Emigration—Journey to Greytown-Return
to England
374