84 ORIGINAL INIEMBEKS. 



Salvin had already paid a visit to Guatemala on business, 

 and had spent his spare time in collecting birds and insects, 

 and when Darwin's ' Origin of Species ' was published, both 

 Godman and Salvin read it with intense interest^ while it 

 shortly afterwards occurred to them that a careful exami- 

 nation of the fauna and flora of Central America would 

 throw some li^ht on the then much-discussed subject of the 

 distribution of species and its bearing on evolution. Partly 

 with this idea in view, partly from a natural and strongly 

 developed love of travel, they started together in August 

 1861, and going first to Jamaica, spent a month collecting 

 birds, insects, and plants most industriously, and then pi'o- 

 ceeded to Belize and Guatemala. Here they travelled about 

 the country, making, however, San Geronimo on the Atlaiitic 

 side and Duenas on the Pacific their chief headquarters. 

 From Duenas they made frequent expeditions into the high 

 forests of the Volcan de Fuego, forming large collections of 

 both birds and insects, shooting the Quesal and Oreophasis, 

 besides many other rare and interesting birds, all of which 

 were sent to England as opportunity occurred. On return- 

 ing from an expedition to the low forests of Vera Paz, 

 Godman had a sharp attack of malarial fever, which made it 

 imprudent for him to join his companion on the long and 

 tedious journey on foot from Coban to Petcn and Belize ; 

 he therefore returned to the Motagua River, and occupied 

 himself before returning home in obtaining specimens of 

 the fishes for the British Museum. The poisoning was 

 carried out in the following manner. Having engaged 

 some 20 Indians, they first made eight or nine V-shaped 

 wattle fences, locally called "tapescos," placing them at 

 various intervals across the shallower parts of the river, 

 the point of the V being down stream and left open. A 

 quantity of a plant (? Agave) was then collected and beaten 

 with sticks on the flat stones in the river, thus producing a 

 sort of soap-sud, which mixing with the water sickened the 

 fishes, and caused them to float upon the surface and be 

 carried down into the wicker baskets. In this manner about 

 eight or nine miles of water was poisoned, but although large 



