CHAPTER XVIII 
Division of Nicaragua into three zones—Journey from Juigalpa to lake 
of Nicaragua—Voyage on lake—Fresh-water shells and insects— 
Similarity of fresh-water productions all over the world—Distribu- 
tion of European land and fresh-water shells—Discussion of the 
reasons why fresh-water productions have varied less than those 
of the land and of the sea. 
I sHALL ask my readers to accompany me on one more 
journey. I have described the great Atlantic forest that 
clothes the whole of the eastern side of Nicaragua. I have 
gone through the central provinces, Chontales, Matagalpa, 
and Segovia; from the San Juan river, the south-eastern 
boundary of Nicaragua, away to the confines of Honduras 
on the north-west. I now propose to leave the central 
provinces, amongst which we have so long lingered, and to 
describe one of my journeys to those lying between the great 
lakes and the Pacific. 
Whilst the country to the north-east of the lakes is mostly 
composed of rocks, of great age, geologically, such as schists, 
quartzites, and old dolerytic rocks, with newer but still 
ancient trachytes, that to the south-west of them is formed 
principally of recent volcanic tufas and lavas, the irruption 
of which has not yet ceased. Most of the land, resulting 
from the decomposition of the tufas, is of extreme fertility; 
and, therefore, we find on the Pacific side of Nicaragua, 
indigo, coffee, sugar, cacao, and tobacco growing with the 
greatest luxuriance. 
Nicaragua is thus divided into three longitudinal zones. 
The most easterly is covered by a great unbroken forest; 
the principal products being india-rubber and mahogany. 
The central zone is composed of grassed savannahs, on 
which are bred cattle, mules, and horses. It is essentially 
a pasturage country, though much maize and a little sugar 
and indigo are grown in some parts. The western zone 
skirts the Pacific, and is a country of fertile soil, where all 
the cultivated plants and fruits of the tropics thrive abun- 
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