942 The American Naturalist. [October, 
with the least amount of work. But once aroused from his lethargy, 
he will endure harder work and more fatigue than his northern brother. 
Peaceable by nature and most anxious for the preservation of his 
health, he will, incited by the furies of war, become desperate and 
even cruel. His life, once so dear and precious, now becomes value- 
less to him. He prefers to die, face to the foe, than to retreat before 
a powerful enemy who attempts to invade his beloved country. 
History has thrown immortal glory upon those 300 men of Sparta 
who fell in the defence of their country. In Honduras no records tell 
the story of the soldiers, buried or left where they died, far out in the 
wilderness, Only a number of heaps of stones with some weather- 
worn crosses indicate the places of rest of those brave fellows who 
died with the cry of “viva la patria," and no Hondurian will pass 
these monuments without uncovering his head and adding a new stone 
to his memory. 
The Hondurians pass their leisure hours in gay and social entertain- 
ments, in which guitar, song, and dance form the main part. They 
enjoy themselves to the utmost, but the frank expression of joy is half 
concealed under the grave Spanish features, which seldom reproduce 
the sentiments of joy and sorrow. 
Gambling is frequently met with in Honduras, and this vice extends 
to nearly all classes of society. Their national sport is equestrianism, 
in which they are very expert. Of their national games, we may men- 
tion hunting, bull-fighting, and cock-fighting. 
The women of Honduras are superior to the men. They have the 
good qualities of the latter, but are more industrious, more peaceable 
and charitable. 
Having thus given you some of the main features of the Hondurian 
character, we proceed with our journey from Amapala to the village 
of La Brea. 
A small boat, with a good breeze, is rapidly ploughing its road 
through the bay of Fonseca, and within four hours we reach the estu- 
aries of the Rio Choluteca which empties by seven mouths into the 
Pacific Ocean. We enter one of the river branches, and, pulling up 
through tropical forests with thick undergrowth, we reach in two 
hours more the village of La Brea. On our journey up the broad 
river our boat at times became entangled in the roots and branches of 
the mangrove trees, which abound on this coast. 
The tree is, at present, not utilized by man, although it might be- 
come an important article of commerce on account of its containing 
tannin. But nature has already made use of the mangrove tree. Its 
