CHAPTER VII. 



Climate of the north-eastern side of Nicaragua Excursions around 

 Santo Domingo The Artigua Corruption of ancient Xaines 

 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, Motmots, and 

 Toucans. 



THE climate of Santo Domingo and of the whole 



O 



north-eastern side of Nicaragua is a very damp one. 

 The rains set in in May, and continue with occasional 

 intermission until the following January, when the dry 

 season of a little more than three months begins. Even 

 during the short-lived dry season there are occasional 

 rains, so that although the roads dry up, vegetation never 

 does, the ground in the woods is ever moist, and the 

 brooks perennial. In the shady forest, mosquitoes and 

 sand-flies are rather troublesome ; but the large cleared 

 space about the houses of the mining company is almost 

 free from them, and in the beautiful light evenings one 

 can sit under the verandahs undisturbed, watching the 

 play of the moonbeams on the waving silky leaves of 

 the bananas, or the twinkling north star just peeping over 

 the range in front, or " Charlie's Yv r ain " in the upper half 

 of its endless circlings. In the opposite direction we can 

 see the beautiful constellations of the southern hemisphere, 

 whilst on the darkest nights innumerable fire-flies flash 



