12 ]\Ir. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected 



It does not appetu- to me, after much observation, that these 

 animals have the power of turning in the air, but that they can 

 only fly in a direct line, unless they happen to assume a new 

 direction, by ricocheting from the edge of a wave. 



The ' Columbus ' passed between Quibo Island and a smaller 

 island, further to seaward, which, the captain informed me, is 

 chiefly inhabited by Monkeys and Peccaries. 



The Gulf of Fonseca is a tine sheet of water; it is studded 

 with volcanic islands, densely covered with wood to their very 

 tops. About sunset, on the 23rd of December, we arrived at La 

 Union, and disembarked immediately. We remained there 

 only throe days, and crossed on the 26th to the island of 

 Tigre in a boat. La Union is, no doubt, a good locality for 

 bird-collecting ; it is built at the foot of the mountain of Con- 

 chagua, formerly a volcano. Mr. Hardcastle, an Englishman 

 residing in New York, who was a fellow-passenger with us in 

 the ' Columbus,* and who subsequently travelled extensively in 

 Central America, ascended the mountain and saw quantities of 

 monkeys. The ascent is easy and may be performed on mules. 

 I was sorry to be unable to go, the more so as he had a splendid 

 view of the surrounding country. 



We remained twelve days in Tigre Island, and during that 

 time lived in a deserted house on the sea-shore, which was full 

 of the nests of multitudes of red wasps. These, however, caused 

 little annoyance beyond their constant presence. The Sappers 

 lived in another house at the edge of the jungle; it abounded 

 (rather too much to please me) with scorpions and large hairy 

 spiders {Mygale). Not a day passed that the Sappers did not 

 kill some of these monsters. On one occasion I saw a large 

 spider 3 or 4 inches in diameter driven from under some furni- 

 ture and killed with a sword ! 



Tigre Island is a volcanic mountain, and densely wooded, ex- 

 cept a small bare space at the summit. I did not go up, as one 

 cannot ride, and walking up a mountain in this climate and 

 through dense bush is not to be thought of. I used to get 

 many birds near an old crater, now a lagoon, full of long reeds 

 and floating grass, to which they resorted to drink, morning 

 and evening. 



