A Botanical Expedition to Nicaragua. 373 



ra about 175 species were collected, mostly on Ometepe, and 

 have been referred to Mr. Wickham, who will report on them. 

 No doubt a sweeping net would have greatly increased the 

 number of species and specimens, but it is well to remember 

 that this and all other zoological collecting was subordinate to 

 the botanical work, and was purely incidental. Hemiftera 

 and Diftera were not common and none were collected. 

 Lefido-ptera were abundant on Ometepe, but no collections 

 were made. They probably become more plentiful along the 

 river as the dry season advances. Hymenoftera^ especially 

 Ants, were everywhere ver\' plentiful, both in the number of 

 species and individuals. The description of the curious archi- 

 tecture and remarkable habits of many of the species would 

 form a volume in itself, and cannot be undertaken by those 

 whose attention was directed to other work. Several species 

 of stinging ants make life a burden to the collector, and the 

 sting of the alligator ant, a species nearly an inch in length, is 

 said to often produce a fever; the writer was stung in the 

 fore-finger by one of these ants, and the finger remained par- 

 alyzed for nearly two hours. 



Molliisca. — About 35 species of Mollusca were collected on 

 Ometepe, at San Carlos, and at Castillo. Terrestrial molluscs 

 were rare along the San Juan, and of the fresh-water forms 

 but few were taken as the water had not fallen sufficiently to 

 enable the party to collect these without dredging apparatus. 



Reports upon all of the groups in which collections were 

 made will be presented in this Bulletin as soon as the material 

 in the respective groups is worked up. 



HeaJthf Illness. 



The safety with which the naturalist may venture into a 

 region which is new to him is always a matter of much con- 

 cern. The eastern coast of Mexico and Central America has 

 an unsavory reputation as to healthfulness, but however true 

 this may be of some portions of this coast, it is safe to say 

 that, so far as the region visited by the expedition is con- 



