Names of Rivers 159 
ground was now firmer, and we got more rapidly across it. 
A flock of wild Muscovy ducks flew heavily across the plain, 
looking very like the tame variety. I do not wonder at 
sportsmen sometimes being unwilling to fire at them, mis- 
taking them for domestic ducks. The tame variety is very 
prolific, and sits better on its eggs than the common duck. 
I have seen twenty ducklings brought out at a single hatch- 
ing. They are good eating, and a large one has nearly as 
much flesh upon it as an average-sized goose. 
About dusk on these plains, which extended around for 
several miles, we reached the cattle hacienda of Olama, 
where was a large tile-roofed house, near a river of the same 
name. The natives of Nicaragua seldom give distinctive 
names to their rivers, but call them after the towns or villages 
on their banks. Thus, at Olama, the river was called the 
Olama river; higher up, at Matagalpa, the same stream is 
called the Matagalpa river; and at Jinotego the Jinotego 
river. The Caribs, however, who live on the rivers, and 
use them as highways, have names for them all; but to the 
agricultural Indians and Mestizos of the interior, they are 
but reservoirs of water, crossed at distant points by their 
roads, and everywhere amongst them I found the greatest 
ignorance prevailing as to the connection of the different 
streams, and their outflow to the ocean. All the streams 
about Olama flow eastward, and join together to form the 
Rio Grande, that reaches the Atlantic about midway between 
Blewfields and the river Wanks. It is very incorrectly 
marked on all the maps of Nicaragua that I have seen. 
The Caribs from the lower parts of the river occasionally 
come up in their canoes to Olama, and bring with them 
common guns and iron pots that they have obtained from 
the mahogany cutters at the mouth of the river. These 
they barter for dogs. I could not ascertain what they 
wanted with the dogs, but both at this place and at Matagalpa 
I was told of the great value the Caribs put on them. Al- 
though the people of Olama expressed great surprise that the 
“Caritos,” as they call the river Indians, should take so 
much trouble to obtain dogs, they had not had the curiosity 
to ask them what they wanted them for. Some people near 
the river have even commenced to rear dogs to supply the 
demand. The Caribs had a special liking for black ones, 
