Cock-Fighting AI. 
of the trees shed their leaves in the dry season, just as they 
do with us in autumn. The barrenness of the landscape is 
relieved in March by several kinds of trees bursting into 
flower when they have shed their leaves, and presenting great 
domes of brilliant colour—some pink, others red, blue, 
yellow, or white, like single-coloured bouquets. One looked 
like a gigantic rhododendron, with bunches of large pink 
flowers. The yellow-flowered ones belong to wild cotton- 
trees, from the pods of which the natives gather cotton to 
stuff pillows, etc. About one o’clock we reached rather a 
large river, and after crossing it came in sight of the town 
of Acoyapo, one of the principal towns of the province of 
Chontales. We stayed and had dinner with Sehor Don 
Dolores Bermudez, a Nicaraguan gentleman who had been 
educated in the States, and spoke English fluently. He 
very kindly took me over the town, and I always found him 
ready to give me information respecting the antiquities and 
natural products of the country. Acoyapo and the district 
around it contains about two thousand inhabitants. The 
store-keepers, lawyers, and hacienderos are of Spanish and 
mixed descent. Amongst the lower classes there is much 
Indian and some negro blood; but there are many pure 
Indians scattered:through the district, living near the rivers 
and brooks, and growing patches of maize and beans. In 
the centre of the town is a large square or plaza, with a 
stucco-fronted church occupying one side, and the principal 
stores and houses ranging around the other three sides. 
A couple of coco-palms grow in front of the church, but do 
not thrive like those near the sea-coast. It was Saturday, 
the 22nd of February, when we arrived; this was a great 
feast-day, or festa, at Acoyapo, and the town was full of 
country people, who were amusing themselves with horse- 
races, cock-fights, and drinking aguardiente. Their mode 
of cock-fighting is very cruel, as the cocks are armed with 
long sickle-shaped lancets, tied on to their natural spurs, 
with which they give each other fearful gashes and wounds. 
All classes of Nicaraguans are fond of this amusement; in 
nearly every house a cock will be found, tied up in a corner 
by the leg, but treated otherwise like one of the family. The 
priests are generally great abettors of the practice, which 
forms the usual amusement of the towns on Sunday after- 
