124 THE NATURALIST IN NICARAGUA. [Ch. VII. 



cfius), having two of the tail-feathers very long, with 

 the shafts denuded about an inch from the end. The 

 mot-mots have all hoarse croak -like cries, heard at a 

 great distance in the forest, and feed on large beetles 

 and other insects. 



The toucans are very curious-looking birds, with their 

 enormous bills. They hop with great agility amongst 

 the branches. The largest species at Santo Domingo 

 was the Rhamphastus tocard, Yieill., twenty-three inches 

 in length, of which one-fourth was taken up by the long 

 bill and another fourth by the tail ; above, all black, 

 excepting the tail- coverts, which are white ; below, 

 throat and breast clear lemon yellow, bordered with red, 

 the rest black, excepting the under tail-coverts, red. 

 When alive, the bill is beautifully painted with red, 

 brown, and yellow. I kept a young one for some time as 

 a pet until it was killed by my monkey. It became very 

 tame, and was expert in catching cockroaches, swallowing 

 them with a jerk of its bill. 



After passing through some low scrubby forest, very 

 thick with tangled second growth, the clearings of the 

 mestizoes were reached, about five miles below Santo 

 Domingo. Maize, plantains, and a few native veget- 

 ables were grown here, and the owners now and then 

 came up to the village to sell their produce. Their 

 houses were open- sided low huts, thatched with palm- 

 leaves, and all their furniture rude ; bedsteads made out 

 of a few rough poles, tied together with bark, supported 

 on crotches stuck in the ground, with raw-hides stretched 

 across them ; their cooking utensils a tortilla-stone and a 

 few coarse earthenware jars and pans ; their clothing 

 dirty cotton rags. This was the limit of my journeys in 



