BLUEFIELDS RIVER. 
79 
owing to the structure of the spines above described, 
the threads were caught by them every moment, and 
it was not possible to make them reach the root of 
the spines. This plan therefore would not do. 
Then I took a thread, and having tied a bit of stick 
transversely at one end, passed the other end, by- 
means of a long needle, through the anal orifice, and 
brought it out at the mouth. The piece of stick re- 
tained the Echinus on the thread, suspended in the 
air, while the free end was tied to the branch of a 
tree. The long spines thus hung downwards, and 
presently assumed their natural divergence, in which 
position the wind soon dried them immoveably ; and 
I thus had the pleasure of preserving the natural ap- 
pearance of these fine Echini in great perfection. 
BLUEFIELDS RIVER. 
To have a permanent supply of clear, pure water 
is a very important advantage in a climate, where, 
during the long droughts, unmitigated by a single 
shower, the pastures become burned up, and the 
cattle languish for want of grass as well as water ; — 
“ nulla neque amnem 
Libavit quadrupes, nec graminis attigit herbam.” 
ViRG. 
At such periods, in many cases, the only resource is 
a filthy pond, whence the water has to be fetched 
several miles. The beasts are fed on the berries of 
the Bastard-cedar {Guazuma ulmifolia), which are 
very mucilaginous, and on the leaves of the Bread-nut 
{Brosimum alicastrum), great bundles of which are 
