156 The Naturalist in Nicaragua 
I determined to wait for Velasquez. Looking about for a 
house to stay at, we found one kept by a woman who formerly 
lived at Santo Domingo, and who was glad to receive us; 
though we found afterwards she had already more travellers 
staying with her than she could well accommodate. 
I had shot a pretty mot-mot on the road, and proceeded 
to skin it, to the amusement and delight of about a dozen 
spectators, who wondered what I could want with the “ hide ” 
of a bird, the only skinning that they had ever seen being that 
of deer and cattle. A native doctor, who was staying at the 
house, insisted on helping me, and as the mot-mot’s skin is 
very tough, he did not do much harm. The bird had been 
shot in the morning, and some one remarking that no blood 
flowed when it was cut, the doctor said, with a wise air, that 
that class of birds had no blood, and that he knew of another 
class that also had none, to which his auditors gave a satisfied 
‘““Como no” (““Why not?”’). He also gave us to under- 
stand that he had himself at one time skinned birds, for being 
evidently looked up to as an authority on all subjects by the 
simple country people, he was unwilling that his reputation 
should suffer by it being supposed that a stranger had come 
to Comoapa who knew something that he did not. Having 
skinned my bird and put the skin out in the sun to dry, I 
took a stroll through the small town, and found it composed 
mostly of huts inhabited by Mestizos, with a tumble-down 
church and a weed-covered plaza. Around some of the 
houses were planted mango and orange trees, but there was a 
general air of dilapidation and decay, and not a single sign of 
industry or progress visible. 
Velasquez arrived at dusk, having ridden from Libertad 
that day. About a dozen of us slung our hammocks in the 
small travellers’ room, where, when we had all gone to rest, 
we looked like a cluster of great bats hanging from the rafters. 
No one could get along the room without disturbing every 
one else, and the next morning all were early astir. We got 
our animals saddled as soon as possible, and set off on our 
journey. It was a clear and beautiful morning, and a cool 
breeze from the north-east fanned us as we rode blithely over 
grassy savannahs and hills. High up in the air soared a 
couple of large black vultures, floating on the wind, and 
describing large circles without apparent movement or 
