Chap. III. THE COKEALES. 37 
near to each other that the respective occupiers, without 
any difficulty, can have a conversation with their neigh- 
bours across the separating channel. Monkeys pass from 
one island to the other by leaping from branch to branch. 
The inhabitants have a few banana plantations and some 
fruit-trees ; they keep pigs and chickens ; besides which 
they are fishermen, who provide the market of Granada. 
Mr. Squier has visited one of the outer islands of the 
group, and has given a description of its idols. But the 
interior has never been examined by any one capable of 
observing and describing what objects of interest it may 
hide, and I am greatly mistaken if it does not offer a rich 
harvest, alike to the naturalist and the antiquary. From 
Granada, the nearest portion of the group is not distant 
more than two or three miles. Here the foot of the Mom- 
bacho advances to the shore of the lake, and the Corrales 
form its immediate continuation. The path along the 
beach is interrupted at this place, the communication with 
the southern side of the mountain being connected with con- 
siderable difficulties in that direction. The narrow channel 
by which the little archipelago is separated from the main- 
land at this spot is a still water, overgrown with floating 
leaves, on which the copper-coloured jacana, with armed 
wings and yellow front-plate, is seen to alight. Splendid 
kingfishers shoot over the surface, and disappear in some 
dark vault formed by the thick masses of foliage on the 
opposite shore. There the white heron stands in silent 
contemplation, as if looking at its own reflected image, 
while from the reeds a cancroma, a large brown bittern, or 
some other huge water-bird, suddenly flies up with start- 
ling noise. 
The whole region to the south of the city is occupied by 
the Mombacho, the sides and summit of which are covered 
