I stayed in this charming double-island for more than a month, roving through it on horse-back and on foot in all directions, ascending the volcano, rowing and sailing over the delightful lagoons and bays, that border its shores, and amongst which I shall late forget that very paradise for the hunter, _Laguna de Santa Rosa_ and _Charco Verde_. Having left Ometepec about the beginning of February, my next visit was to «_tierra firme_», where I made some easily executed, but not very successful excavations, immediately to the north of _San Jorge_. From _Departemento de Rivas_’ I sailed to _Las Isletas_, also called _Los Corales_, an extremely beautiful little archipelago, just southwards of _Granada_. The whole group owes its existence to the volcano _Mombacho_, which towers high above it, the islands consisting exclusively of the remains of one or more eruptions of _Mombacho_. But the vegetation here is so powerful and luxuriant, that it has changed those piles of black stones into smiling islands, which the traveller is never tired of admiring. Only on the outside of the archipelago, where the often angry lake of Nicaragua has checked the development of the verdant cover, the black, gloomy basalt is still open to the view, lashed by white-foaming waves. In several of the islets statues were measured and delineated, but unfortunately the photographic apparatus could not be used on this occasion. After a stay of some days among _Las Isletas_ and a short visit to _Granada_ for the purpose of completing my photographic outfit, I set sail for _Zapatera_. On my arrival I encamped for a long time on the playa of _Bahia de Chiquero_. Along the playa of the semi-circular bay there are now five houses, the homes of as many families, being the only inhabitants at the present time of this large and fertile island, which was, no doubt, formerly populated by many thousands of Niquirans, possessing rich towns and splendid temples. The islet of _Ceiba_ is situated off Bahia de Chiquero (see map 2). According to my opinion, _Zapatera_ is certainly a volcanic island, but in this manner, that its north-western part is the summit of a sunken volcanic cone, Bahia de Chiquero being the crater itself, the narrow, elevated mountain ridge which surrounds the bay, forming the edge of the crater and the islet of Ceiba the continuation of this edge, _Laguna de Apoyo_, situated scarcely one kilometer from the shore, may then be regarded as a side-crater.