214 THE NATUBALIST IN NICARAGUA. [Ch. XII. 



natives. They are about the size of a magpie, with 

 much of the active movements of that bird. They are 

 generally seen about cattle, sometimes picking the garra- 

 patoes off them, but more often one on each side, watching 

 for the grasshoppers and other insects, that are frightened 

 up as the cattle feed. On this morning, there were 

 several of them on the top of a shed. Every now and 

 then one would ruffle out its feathers, open its wings a 

 little, give a step or two forward towards another, stretch 

 out its neck, open its bill, and then give rather a long 

 squeak-like whistle. As soon as it had done this, it 

 would hurriedly close its feathers and wings, and hold its 

 head straight up, with its bill pointing to the sky. All 

 its movements were grotesque ; and its sudden change in 

 appearance after delivering its cry was ludicrous. It 

 appeared as if it was ashamed of what it had done, and 

 was trying to look as if it had not done it just as I have 

 seen a schoolboy throw a snowball, and then stand rigidly 

 looking another way. After a few moments, the " sanate ' 

 would lower its head, and, in a short time, go through 

 the same performance again, repeating every movement 

 exactly, as if it had been an automaton. 



Bidding adieu to our host, we rode over grassy 

 savannahs, with much cattle feeding on them, and in 

 about five miles reached a small village called Muy-muy, 

 which means in Spanish, very- very. I think it is a cor- 

 ruption of an old Indian word " Muyo," met with in 

 other Indian names of towns, as, for instance, in 

 Muyogalpa. After riding all round the plaza, which 

 formed three-fourths of the town, we at last found a 

 house where they consented to make us some tortillas, on 

 condition that we would buy some native cheese also. 



