14 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected 



a gun, and saw a black animal, about the size of a fox, with a 

 bushy tail*, jump out of a patch of sugar-cane, just out of gun- 

 shot. Among the pine ridges on the summit, 3000 feet above the 

 sea, I observed very few birds, except a covey of small Partridges 

 {07'tijx). These, by the way, I used frequently to see, but was 

 not able to obtain, as they generally frequented thick bushes, 

 and were difficult to find and raise. With the aid of a good dog, 

 I have no doubt that I might have shot some, and other game as 

 well. We had with us a dog called ' Dash,' miscalled a setter, 

 which Mr. Edwards had brought with him from New York ; his 

 accomplishments, however, extended no further than barking, or 

 scratchins; at the innumerable fleas and ticks which infested him. 

 So useless was he, that we left him at Comayagua when we 

 started for the Atlantic coast. 



I should have obtained many more birds, but our journey was 

 so unnecessarily hurried, that I could shoot only a few of such 

 as I saw close to the roadside. Skinning them was out of 

 the question. It was as much as I could do to take a brief de- 

 scription of the few I killed, and the halting-places were so 

 wretchedly bad, that it was often with difficulty I did that. I 

 saw many birds which I did not shoot, because I knew that I 

 could not turn them to account, either by describing or skinning 

 them. By proceeding leism*ely, I should have had many more 

 opportunities of procuring specimens. I might also have got 

 birds at La Union, and have considerably increased my collec- 

 tion of Grallatures along the estuaries in the Gulf of Fonseca, if 

 I could have remained longer on the Pacific coast. 



We remained a night at Lamani, and rode the next day into 

 Comayagua, over the plain, which is tolerably level, open in 

 places, but mostly covered with forest. The day after our arrival 

 I was taken ill with fever and ague, and was not able to go about 

 for ten days. As we only remained seventeen days at Coma- 

 yagua, I lost thereby much valuable time, and when I was able 

 to go out, my excursions were considerably curtailed by debility 

 resulting from the fever. There is much to be done about Coma- 

 yagua. The vicinity of the town consists of open level plain with 

 cactus-bushes on one side, dense jungle intersected by rivers 

 * Perhaps an Antcatcr {Myrmecophnga). 



