The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-07-10
The An,hropphagon,s cnlsger.

simultaneously with the advent of the
merry picnic season comes the chigger,
n beast of mystery and Of q retiring dis
position, says the Kansas City Journal.
His habits are predatory, and. like the
wicked flea, he frequently goes where no
man pursueth. but while not possessing
the Statutory powers of the PuleX irri-
tans, he is much harder to hold up. Those
who Nave had the good fortune to witness
lovely woman capture q flea always
have high praise for the expert manner
in which it is done, but the cnigger
laughs her to scorn and hides his dimin-
ished head beneath her cuticle with great
speed and consequent irritation to the
surrounding tissue. He gets there before
she does, and even the new woman can
not circumVent him.
The chigger IS no respecter of person,
and nobody Is exempt from his ravages.
The statesman of high degree and the
tender maiden are alike meat for him,
and equally toothsome. 1t is said that a
cat may look upon king with the calm
est composure, and so. indeed, might a
chigger, but a king cannot look on a
chigger by reason of the smallness of the
bug, and that is where the chigger lays
II over" royalty. Certain learned gen
tlemen who are yersed in insect lore tell
us that the chigger is mite, and there
is probably no one with the temerity to
mitey, and Will p:evail in spite of our
most devoted efforts.
But 1t is especially at those rural fes-
tivals called picnics that the chigger dis
ports himself with the greatest aban-
don. There he has his innings and
proves himself a Nemesis of the deepest
dye. Enjoy yourselves while we may,
We merry picnickers, for on The morrow
We itch! The delights of the merry-go
round and the custayd pie are but evan
escent things. soon 10 fade away, but the
chigger burrows like the tooth of re-
morse and bites like sixty or any other
mathematical computation sufficient to
convey the idea. The habitat of the
chigger is among the weeds and grasses.
There he remains in outrageous retire
ment, enjoying the beauties OF nature
and bidirg his time. The time soon
comes A fair summer girl trips along
with dainty footsteps or perhaps re-
clines a. ease upon the emerald Sward,
when the cii!gser marks her as his prey
and takes possession at once. 1t is a
fair land of promise and the grazing
is good. The chigger rolls that damsei
under his tongue as a sweet morsel. and
| in the eXubeiance of his glee shouteth,
Yum, yum"
The remedy for the chigger Is various.
| Every woman has her own private for
| mula for potent chiggercide.' ranging
from idcc po"uer5 10 spraying with
| frangipanni hut they all pale into insig-
/ nificance beside the ancient and lime
honored practice Of amounting with ba-
| con. a c:isp piece of breakfast bacon
| showing q streak of lean and a streak of
| fat in THE proper proportions Is poison
| to the chigger; a sad commentary upon
his eptcurean tastes. but as he Is strictly
anthropophagous this Is not matter of
great surprise. To pour oil into the
wounds made by the chigger Is to e5,aas
with bacon. 1t is like the precious oint-
mem: which ran down upon Aaron's
beard and its influence Is as balm upon
the distraught victim OF the chigger's