Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-06-06

WHAT Is FOUND IN THE WAY OF COMFORTS AND
DISCoMFoRT5.
Correspondence of the y. Y. World.


Bananas are in great variety. Oranges cost
eight cents bushel at the trees, and sweet
and sour lines are gwen away if you care to
take them. Many other fruits, such as alta,
or custard apple, alligator pears, mangoes,
laca or sour sop, paJura and copuassu are
given away or cost almost nothing Once
established. living is very cheap, but the
stranger will find many difficulties in placing
himself, and it will be long before everything
runs smoothly as a knowledge OF the Ian
| guage (Portuguese) is indispensable for some
one of the family. The only safe rule is to
bring with you all you can possibly require
in the shape of delicacies. 1t will thus be
seen that the Amazon valley is not the trav-
eler's paradise. Once established however,
the annovances from insect life begin and
seriously interfere with enjoyment The
The houses are of mud, rough walls, full of
chinks, in which cockroaches swarm by my
RAIDS. There are three kinds, one a large,
active fellow. who runs and flies with equal
facility and rapidity. He is omnivorous and
omnipresent and nota trunk, box or basket
escapes his invasions He is found of every
size, from that Of a small pin-head to two
inches or more in length, and for every one
killed dozen seem to start into Its place.
Various species of cockroaches are proved
upon by huge spiders which live in the walls
or in the thatch of palm. From tip to tip
they are often four inches in diameter and at
night come ont OF their holes in search of
food. They are harmless, II not agreeable
company. Then there are the large taran-
tulas, great, evil-looking, hairy monsters,
large enough and strong enough to capture
small birds. They make their domicile i'll
the palm ROOF, and seldom descend TO the
lower regions. They too are harmless but
the hairs sting very severely, and they are
not pleasant cotenannts 10 these may be
added and infinite variety of smaller species.
Next We have n small scr rpion. about an inch
long, brown, with a coal OF fire in his tail
the sting of which is very painful. What
possibilities of insect lie an old palm tree
might develope no one can venture to say. |
have described the mos. obtrusive tenants
Bats by night fly around the room, and my
evening amusement is catching them in long
handled nets, proceeding requiring no little
skill. Of rats had plenty ut first, but
diet of arsenic and bananas proved to be too
much for them and the whole colony immi-
grated to neghbor's. to whom was hard
hearted enough to refuse gift of the white
powder. Wasps of many kinds abound, and
as write see the nests of four different
species. The most curious is species allied
to our mud wasps, which build little circular
nests i'll every available place. Apropos of
these wasps, when the steamer Villa Bella
went ashore last year i'll Sage Grande. in the
space of n few months these insects filled up
with fine mud all the holes in the machinery
and caused infinite trouble when Mt last the
steamer iloated. A bunch of ripe bananas
will occasionally attract n swarm of small
black bees, but rs most of the Brazilian
species do not sting they give no trouble.
House flies are very few, Just enough to re-
mind one of home. Mosquitoes i'll some
localities are plenty when the water in the
river is falling and they abound in low flood
ed forests. They are, however. worse than
in New Jersey but by shifting up the house
half an hour before dark you will not be
troubled by them.
For the last we have left the universal
plague OF tropical oountry-the ants.
Their name is legion, and they are Of every
shape, size. color and habit. In one of my
journals | have described more than $50 diff
ferent species. They swarm everywhere, and
are more annoying than the united forces of
all the insects | have mentioned From
May to September, not an article of food can
be left exposed !; foraging parties are always
on the alert, and in few minutes a long file
reaches from the nest to the object of attack
If the sugar bowl Is not set in u plate OF soap
suds 1t soon contains moro ants than sugar.
The most destructive ant in Brazil is the sa-
luba, which has been described by all travel
lers. 1t does not enter the houses but does
its work of mischief in the garden. 1t will
strip the trees of their foliage in a single
night, its i,vorte tree being the orange. If
space permitted | would give long account.
The copine, small, gelatinous looking ant
attacks wood, and Il few months are sufficient
to make n skeleton of piece of furniture
Pine wood it seems to prefer to the native
woods, and frame house brought from the
United States to brazil would soon be de-
stroyed.
Abroad III tine woods there are many more
species. If yOu would enjoy the perfume OF
some brilliant flower, behold an ant stands
ready with wide open jaws to give your nose
an unpleasant welcome. II you reach for II
gay tilandsea or climb fer II rich orchid
nest Of ants will drop on You IN myriads. and
they sting like Goals of fire. In fact, go
where you will you meet ants You live,
sleep and eat with them-yes, and even eat
them The large saluba Is eaten by the In
dians and tastes like cloves. Whether you
like them or not you eat II quantity of the
red ants in food without knowing it, and in
fact get so accustomed to the companionship
that III measure the annoyance ceases.
This Ii the other if not the bright side OF
tropical life. The pleasures. though, far out
weigh the pains. The brauties are so great
the evils so small, comparatively, that life
IL the tropics seem 10 me far more desirable
than life IN the inhospitt BILE climate OF the
United States.