142 THE NATURALIST IN NICARAGUA. [Ck. VIII. 



found far outside the forest, but is replaced on the 

 savannahs by a great variety of tufted grasses, which 

 seem gradually to overcome the creeper in the clearings 

 on the edge of the forest ; but at Santo Domingo the 

 latter was predominant, and although I sowed the seeds 

 of other grasses amongst it, they did not succeed, on 

 account of the cattle pecking them out and eating them 

 in preference to the other. 



There were many other paths leading in different 

 directions into the forest, but I shall describe one of 

 them, as it differed from those already mentioned, leading 

 to the top of a bare rock, rising fully 1,000 feet above 

 Santo Domingo. 



This rock, on the southern and most perpendicular 

 side, weathers to a whitish colour, and is called Pena 

 Blanca, meaning the white peak. It is visible from 

 some points on the savannahs. During the summer 

 months it is, on the northern side, covered with the 

 flowers of a caulescent orchid (Ornithorhynchos) that has 

 not been found anywhere else in the neighbourhood; 

 and the natives, who are very fond of flowers, inheriting 

 the taste from their Indian ancestors, at this time, often 

 on Sundays, go up to it and bring down large quantities 

 of the blossoms. Its colour, when it first opens, is 

 scarlet and yellow. Amongst it grows a crimson Mack- 

 leania. Once when I made an ascent, in March, these 

 flowers were in perfection, and in great abundance, and 

 the northern face of the rock was completely covered 

 with them. When I emerged from the gloomy forest, 

 the sun was shining brightly on it, and the combination 

 of scarlet, crimson, and yellow made a perfect blaze of 

 colour, approaching more nearly to the appearance of 



