238 THE NATURALIST IN NICARAGUA. [Ch. XIII. 



hanging down, sometimes as much as six feet long, like 

 a grey veil swaying in the breeze, and giving the trees a 

 strange and venerable look. The ride was delightful 

 after the stagnation at Matagalpa : everything was fresh 

 and new to me. The aspect of the country, the trees, 

 shrubs, and flowers, the birds and insects, the aromatic 

 perfume from the pines, claimed my attention every 

 minute. 



After four hours' riding across the pine-clad ranges, 

 we reached a gorge leading up to the heights overlooking 

 the valley of Jinotega. The path was along the steep 

 side of this gorge, often along the side of a precipice, 

 where a few logs were laid to prevent the mules going 

 over, but really increasing the danger, for they were old 

 and rotten. Large boulders, imbedded in dark- coloured 

 earth, lay on the steep slopes, and about these grew small 

 herbaceous ferns in the greatest variety and profusion a 

 very paradise for a fern-collector. In some parts a 

 light green maiden-hair fern covered the ground with its 

 beautifully tender foliage, reminding me of shady banks 

 in the north of England, covered with the equally lovely 

 oak-fern. Every few yards discovered some new species, 

 filling the mind with delight at their beauty and variety. 

 In dryer and more stony places, a pinnatifid club-moss 

 stood up amongst the stones in crisp tufts, like the 

 parsley fern on mountain-sides at home. A black and 

 bluebird (Cyanocittamelanocyaneci), about the size of a 

 jackdaw, flew in small noisy flocks ; and I noticed a 

 beautiful trogon, with burnished green back, and rose- 

 coloured breast. The highest points of the ranges enclos- 

 ing this ravine were covered with pine trees (Pimis 

 tenuifolia) ; lower down grew evergreen oaks, and lower 



