142 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
short stick, and caught the insects as I passed along, off the 
leaves, without stopping; so abundant were they, that it 
was very rare for me to take the shortest journey without 
finding some new species to add to my collection. On this 
journey I did not, however, take many insects, as the latter 
half of the year 1872, for some reason or other, was a very 
unfavourable season for them.1 The scarcity of beetles was 
very remarkable. The wet season set in a little earlier than 
usual, but I do not think that this caused the dearth of insects 
as at Juigalpa, where there had been scarcely any rain, there 
were very few compared with the two former years. The 
year before, when the season was nearly as wet, beetles, 
especially longicorns, had been very abundant; and the first 
half of 1872 had not been characterised by any scarcity of 
them. Some of the fine longicorns that appear in April were 
numerous. No less than five specimens of a large and beauti- 
ful one (Deliathis nivea, Bates), white, with black spots, that 
we considered one of our greatest rarities, were taken in that 
month. It was not until the end of May that the great 
scarcity of beetles, compared with their abundance in former 
years, became apparent. I think all classes of beetles had 
suffered. Many fine lamellicorns, that were generally numer- 
ous, were not seen at all; neither were many species of 
longicorns, usually common. A fig-tree that I had growing in 
my garden had been much injured by a longicorn (T@niotes 
scalaris) in 1870 and 1871, but was not touched in 1872. 
Butterflies were also scarc*, but it was the second season 
that they had been so. Some ants were affected; in others, 
such as the leaf-cutter, I noted no perceptible diminution in 
number. A little ant (Phezdole sp.) that used to swarm on a 
passion flower which grew over the house, attending on the 
honey glands, and scale insects, disappeared altogether; and 
another species (Hypoclinea sp.) that it used to drive away 
took its place. A small stinging black ant (Solenopsis sp.), 
that was a great plague in the houses, was also fortunately 
scarce. In the beginning of June nearly all the white ants 
or termites (“‘ Comiens ” of the Nicaraguans) died. In some 
1{It is curious that Mr. W. H. Hudson should have selected this 
same summer of 1872-73 as affording on the pampas of South America 
an exceptionally good example of one of those ‘‘ waves of life”’ in 
which there is a sudden and inordinate increase in many forms of 
animal life. See The Naturalist in La Plata, chapter iii.] 
