286 THE NATURALIST IX NICARAGUA. [Ch. XV. 



many-coloured birds, were all there ; but our attention 

 could only be called unwillingly to them. Our jaded 

 animals trudged on with mechanical steps ; and, tired 

 ourselves, we thought of nothing but getting to the end 

 of our day's journey, and resting our weary frames. 



"We did not return from Palacaguina by the road we 

 had come, but took one much more to the westward. 

 This we did, not only to see a fresh line of country, but 

 to gratify Rito with a visit to his relations, whom he had 

 not seen for two years. Two miles beyond Palacaguina, 

 we crossed a river, beyond which I saw no more of the 

 quartz conglomerate that I have so often mentioned 

 whilst passing through Segovia. From this place to the 

 mines the rocks were soft decomposing dolerites, with 

 many harder bands of felsite, and, occasionally, plains 

 composed of more recent trachytic lavas. 



We passed through another weedy, dilapidated town, 

 called Condegof where they have a singular custom at 

 their annual festival held on the 15th of May. For some 

 weeks before this date, they catch all the wild beasts and 

 birds they can, and keep them alive. During the night 

 preceding the feast-day they plant the plaza in front of 

 the church with full-grown plants of maize, rice, beans, 

 and all the other vegetables that they cultivate ; and 

 amongst them they fasten the wild beasts and birds that 

 have been collected ; so that the sun that set on a bare, 

 weedy plaza rises on one full of vegetable and animal 

 life. The year before, a young jaguar that had been 

 caught was the great attraction. It has now grown so 

 large, that they are afraid of it, and do not know what 

 to do with it. It is kept in an empty house at Pueblo 

 Nuevo, along with a dog, to which it is greatly attached, 



