124. The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
The morning was yet young, and the banks were vocal with 
the noises of birds, that chattered, whistled, chirruped, 
croaked, cooed, warbled, or made discordant cries. I doubt 
if any other part of the earth’s surface could show a greater 
variety of the feathered tribe. A large brown bittern stood 
motionless amongst the stones of a rapid portion of the 
stream, crouching down with his neck and head drawn back 
close to his body, so that he looked like a brown rock himself. 
Kingfishers flitted up and down, or dashed into the water 
with a splashing thud. At a sedgy spot were some jacanas 
stalking about. When disturbed, these birds rise chattering 
their displeasure, and showing the lemon yellow of the under- 
side of their wings, which contrasts with the deep chocolate 
brown of the rest of their plumage. Parrots flew past in 
screaming flocks, or alighted on the trees and nestled together 
in loving couples, changing their screaming to tender chir- 
rupings. Numerous brown and yellow fly-catchers sat on 
small dead branches, and darted off every now and then 
after passing insects. A couple of beautiful mot-mots 
(Eumomota superciliaris) made short flights after the larger 
insects, or sat on the low branches by the river-bank, jerking 
their curious tails from side to side. Swallows skimmed 
past in their circling flights, whilst in the bushes were warb- 
ling orange-and-black Sisitotis and many another bird of 
beautiful feather. One class of birds, and that the most 
characteristic of tropical America, was decidedly scarce. I 
did not see a single humming-bird by the river-side. On the 
savannahs they are much less frequent than in the forest 
region. Insects were not so numerous as they had been in 
preceding years. Over sandy spots two speckled species of 
tiger-beetles ran and flew with great swiftness. I saw one 
rise from the ground and take an insect on the wing that was 
flying slowly over. On one myrtle-like bush, with small white 
flowers, there were dozens of a small Longicorn new to me, 
which, when flying, looked like black wasps. 
It was very pleasant to sit in the cool shade, and listen to, 
and watch, the birds. There was here no fear of dangerous 
animals, the only annoyance being stinging ants or biting 
sand-flies, neither of which were at this place very numerous. 
Snakes also were scarce. I saw but one, a harmless green 
one, that glided away with wavy folds amongst the brush- 
