The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-02-28
The Paradise OF Insects.

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on the Upper Amazons can have any
idea of the number and verocity of the
insect torments which work their wick
ed will on the bodies of the unfortu-
mates exposed to their attacks. The
sancudos," or small sand-fies, form
by far the most important section. In
the villages, round which the forest is
cleared away for some distance, the
sancudos are generally pretty quiet
during the day, except where darkness
prevails; there they are ever busy, and
are perfect plague. The triumphant
note of a sancudo which has made his
way under your curtains is more annoy
ing than even his bite; and should you
have been careless in getting into bed,
and been accompanied by two or three
of these blood-suckers, we will defy
you to sleep until you have extermina-
ted them.
In the forest and on the river the
sancudos are always busy. Men some
times get into hevessel' s tops, and there
cover themselves with sacks, notwith-
standing the heat, rather than remain
below exposed to their attacks. Fortu-
nately they cannot stand current of
air, and so when under way the vessel
is comparatively free from them, but
when at anchor these pests are some
thing awful. To get rid of them is
next to impossible. Creosote will keep
them off, but the remedy Is as bad as
the disease. Whitewash will drive
them away, but when dry its power
ceases; and the only thing to do is
either to cover all exposed parts of the
body with black pigment a Ia mode In
dtename, or else to "grin and bear it."
Scarcely less troublesome than the
sancudos are the mosquitoes, although
they have the negative merit of biting
only by day. They are minute Great
ures, not much larger than pins head
they prefer the backs of the hands to
any other spot for their attacks. But,
unlike the sancudo, which, when I'M
disturbed, gorges himself until unable
to fly, and becomes an easy prey to
your avenging finger, the mosquito
never seems to take too much to pre-
vent his easy escape on the slightest ap-
pearance of danger, being evidently
just as wide-awake when full as when
empty.
Everywhere in long grass turks the
"moquim," little red insect so small
as to be almost imperceptible, but
which fastens on the legs, causing the
most intolerable itching.
There is fly which burrows in the
skin and deposits an egg, both in hui
man beings and anima ais. This pro-
duces a maggot, similar in shape to
that of the common blow-fy, but much
larger, probably analogous to the
Guinea-worm.
Then there are chigos," which bur-
row mostly in the soles of the feet. You
feel an intense itching, and on exami-
nation find little thing like pea just
under the epidermis; this is the bag
containing the young chigos, which
must be carefully picked out with the
point of knife, and the cavity left
filed with tobacco ash.
Huge spiders abound, whose very APP
pearance inspires wholesome dread
of nearer acquaintance, but which are
harmless enough if let alone. In fact,
on board the steamers, almost every
cabin is tenanted by one large spider,
whose presence is tolerated on account
OF his being a deadly foe to cock
reaches, which abominable Great
ures swarm on board. Sometimes he
is not visible for fortnight or more at
a time; but he leaves tokens of "hav-
ing been there" in the shape of the
empty husks of cockroaches, from
which he has carefully distracted the
interior. These spiders have the power
of springing upon their prey from dis
lance, and some of them are so large
and powerful as to kill and devour
small birds.
In passing through the narrow forest
paths it is necessary to be on the look
out for the od-ticks, which are very
difficult to get rid of if once firmly at
tached; also for the huge black ants,
an inch and half in length, with
stings like a hornets; and the sauba
ant, without sting, but armed with nip
pers like a pair of surgical bone.for-
ceps, which are running about every
where. One may sometimes chance
upon a column of the dreaded " fire.
ants" marching in regular military
order; and if he does, the only thing is
to bolt at once, for neither man nor
beast may withstand the fre-ant and