JOURNEY TO GUATEMALA. 



187 



delightful, and there was that soft, balmy temperature in 

 the air, which is peculiar to the month of May in northern 

 climates. In short, so many favourable circumstances 

 concurred to cheer us on oUr way, that our travelling this 

 day was like an excursion of pleasure. 



At one place, I was struck with the singular appear- 

 ance of a lofty ceyba, or silk-cotton tree, that overhung 

 the road, and from the topmost branches of Which Were 

 suspended not less than fifty nests of the bird called oriole, 

 already noticed in a preceding chapter. They were 

 hanging by a mere thread, and swung to and fro in the 

 air, apparently at the mercy of the wind ; but only one 

 had fallen. I stopped to pick it up, and was filled with 

 admiration on observing the industry and ingenuity dis- 

 played in its construction. It was like a lady's reticule, 

 The outside consisted of fibres or stalks of grass, and flex- 

 ible twigs, so minutely and closely interwoven, as to 

 form a tolerably compact web. The inside was neatly 

 lined with soft moss and little flakes of wool and cotton. 

 The opening at top was about two inches in diameter, 

 and just large enough to admit the body of the bird. 



Further on, another, and a very different object, at- 

 tracted my attention.- It was a little hut, like a shrine or 

 chapel, surmounted by a cross, and ornamented, above 

 and around, with shrubs and wild flowers. Within was 

 an image of our Saviour, about four feet high, dressed in 

 white, and girded with a sword ! 



We now came to where the stream, which we had thus 

 far followed, poured its copious tribute into the river Polo-- 

 chic. In passing this river, we went over a bridge so 

 novel and primitive in its construction, that it was de- 

 cidedly the greatest curiosity I had yet seen. It was 

 composed of the pendant branches of a tree,- which, like 

 those of the bannian tree in the East Indies, grow down- 

 wards till they reach the ground, and taking root, grow 

 up again. Of these branches, which, properly speaking, 



