3H THE NATURALIST IX NICARAGUA. [Ch. XVII. 



the staple conversation throughout Central America 

 amongst the middle classes, and until they really do 

 break out it is best not to believe in them. He told us 

 also that the drought had been very great around Teu- 

 stepe, and that the crops were destroyed by it. 



About three we reached the town, and after buying 

 some provisions to take with us, pushed on again. Below 

 Teustepe we crossed the river Malacatoyo which empties 

 into the Lake of Nicaragua, and beyond it the road 

 passed over a wide alluvial flat with high trees, amongst 

 which we saw a flock of white-faced monkeys. 



On the leaves of the bushes there were many curious 

 species of Buprestida9, and I struck these and other 

 beetles off with my net as I rode along. After one such 

 capture I observed what appeared to be one of the black 

 stinging ants on the net. It was. a small spider that 

 closely resembled an ant, and so perfect was the imitation 

 that it was not until I killed it that I determined that it 

 was a spicier and that I need not be afraid of it stinging 

 me. What added greatly to the resemblance was, that, 

 unlike other spiders, it held up its two forelegs like 

 antennae, and moved them about just like an ant. Other 

 species of spiders closely resemble stinging ants ; in all 

 of them the body is drawn out long like an ant, and in 

 some the maxillary palpi are lengthened and thickened 

 so as to resemble the head of one. 



Ant-like spiders have been noticed throughout tropical 



America and also in Africa.* The use that the deceptive. 



resemblance is to them has been explained to be the 



facility it affords them for approaching ants on which 



* See " Nature," vol. iii. p. 508. 



