86 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
their long, trembling antennz are ever stretched out, as if 
feeling the very texture of the air around them; and their 
long legs quickly take them out of danger. Sometimes I 
tried to chase one of them up to a corner where on the wall 
a large cockroach-eating spider stood motionless, looking out 
for his prey; the cockroach would rush away from me in 
great fear; but as soon as it came within a foot of its mortal 
foe nothing would force it onwards, but back it would double, 
facing all the danger from me rather than advance nearer to 
its natural enemy. 
To return to the spiders. Besides the large owner and 
manufacturer of each web who was stationed near its centre, 
there were on the outskirts several very small ones, belonging, 
I think, to two different species. I sometimes threw a fly 
into one of the webs. The large spider would seize it and 
commence sucking its blood. The small ones, attracted by 
the sight of the prey, would advance cautiously from the 
circumference, but generally stop short about half-way up 
the web, evidently afraid to come within reach of the owner; 
thus having to content themselves with looking at the pro- 
visions, like hungry urchins nosing the windows of an eating- 
house. Sometimes a more audacious one would advance 
closer, but the owner would, when it came within reach, 
quickly lift up one of its feet and strike at it, like a feeding 
horse kicking at another that came near its provender, and 
the intruder would have to retire discomfited. These little 
spiders probably feed on minute insects entangled in the 
web, too small for the consideration of the huge owner, to 
whom they may be of assistance in clearing it. 
Soon after crossing the muddy Artigua below Pavon, 
a beautifully clear and sparkling brook is reached, coming 
down to join its pure waters with the soiled river below. In 
the evening this was a favourite resort of many birds that 
came to drink at the pellucid stream, or catch insects playing 
above the water. Amongst the last was the beautiful blue, 
ereen, and white humming-bird (Florisuga mellivora, Linn.); 
the head and neck deep metallic-blue, bordered on the back 
by a pure white collar over the shoulders, followed by deep 
metallic-green; on the underside the blue neck is succeeded 
by green, the green from the centre of the breast to the end 
of the tail by pure white; the tail can be expanded to a half 
