The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-06-24
AN INSE IR A VEIf
Progress On South american pet
Around the World


II
3: The jigger, one Of the insect pests of
the West Indies and South America, his
Mt last crossed equal rial Africa from
the Atlantic to Zanzibar, about 2, 700
miles, 26 years after its introduction
into the continent. This variety Of tie
flea, much smaller than the common
flea, is very troublesome, and If its at-
tacks upon a few animals, including
man, are not prevented, tits som etimes
fatal to life. The fact that Its gradtible
advance among the natives Of Africa
threw them into CONSERVATION, Often
causing the abando nment Of village
and districts, has mad e siteasyto TRADE
its progress step by step, ahda brikf
summary. Of its journey across Africa
will be interesting as q striking illus
.tration Of insect navigation. ;3S NV
Assailing vessel arrived at 9Ambria
Angola, IN September, 1872, from Brazil
with sand ballast, which she dumped
on the beach. The jigger had crossed
the ocean id this sand, andits propensi--
ty for boring through the skin and,
lodging between the cuticle and tie
flesh soon made its presence Slnotkns
There are effective means Of preventing
its. attacks, but before the ssnatiyes
learned how to deal with itIthe little
pest caused great suffering It was
long ago evident that the jiggerwas not
using its own powers of locomot to
any large extent in its journey through
Africa, but that it was carried,by cara
vans in the porterage service. j / II
In 1885 travellers crossing the CONT
nent from Zanzibar heard nothing$of
the jigger till they arrived within 800
miles Of the Atlantic. It had taken the
insect ID years to penetrate this. dis
lance into Africa. The natives at STAN
ley pool had witnessed with sorrow the
advent Of the .unwelcome visitor that
abided with them, butsent on colonies
further up the river. Thenceforthz the
jigger's progress was more rapid, for
steamboats, and caravans were multi.
plying on the upper Congo. Seven
years later, in 1892, DR.. Oscar Bauma1n
reported the arrival Of the pest at b..
kumbi gulf, midway on the south coast
of Victoria Nyanza. Tt was still uh-
known on the east shores of the lake
The natives declared that it had been
brought to the west coast by Stanley|s
expedition for the relief Of Emin Pasha.
However that may be, the. jigger; ap-
peared about the same time through
out most of the central lake region,
following the caravan route from the
upper Congo through Manyeina to Lake
:Tanganyika. The natives along the
edge of Victoria Nyanza suffered terri
bly, from the .infiction. and many viii
lagos were abandoned. =. )
! Three years more elapsed before the.
missionaries at Mpwapwa reported the
arrival of the jigger among the noun
tains at that point, 200 miles from the
Indian ocean. 1t took the .insect*two
years more to reach the coast towns
of East Africa, where it appeared al
most simultaneously, late in 1897; at
all the towns between Bagamoya and
Pangani, along 70 miles Of the coast.
and another year elapsed before, date
last fall, it was jumping along the sands
OF Zanzibar island. So
The people of the east coast have suf-
fered comparatively little in COMPARE
son with the inland tribes, for hundreds
of Zanzibaris who had worked for years
on the Congo have returned home and
spread the information that rubbing,
with tobacco leaves and, above all.
cleanliness and the wearing Of shoes,
are effective protection against thetjig-
ger. -. ;<:>H
Afterits long journey from Brazilthe
jigger is now established at the busy
mart whence many vessels sail for the
East Indies and Oceanica. There seems
no good reason why this persevering
and successful traveller should not Cir
die the tropical world~-N.,Y. Sun. Il