The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1906-10-04
N THE FIELD AT PANAMA..
Tropical Animals, Birds ana Ahse''0
Greet the Explorer at
Every Step.

The first detail of the field surveys do
organized by Chief Engineer Waliace
Mr.. Ehle's party-established thelr
headquarters at the Obispo and startcu
to tunnel a line up the Chagres Valley
into the Chilibre drainage, writes uiiei
ton r. Waldo, in the Engineering Mas"-
zine. 1t was not possible to advance d
foot without hacking ones way through
a tangle of creepers by means OF the
machete Lizards and gaudy snakes
crawled and scuttled everywhere. puA-
yards lowered against the blazing 'iopio
sun, monkeys jabbered from Tue .iee"
and parrots screamed, and insect peS1e
were superabundant about the neaos
and eyes of the light-clad transltmen
and leyelmen. Amid the profuslon OF
red and yellow orchids ana parasi'io"l
airnlants. humming- birds hung ana
darted while the ground was alive WIN
"leaf-cutter" ants that climbed the trees
and cut out triangular bits Of leaves
| which they carried away III regularly
marshaled columns to grow the fungus
on which they fed their larvae mere
and there one came upon the footprints
| Of the tapir ("mountain cow or the
small tropical deer. A species OF grouse
| and kind of wild turkey, with JET Dlach
nlumage and ruff allied to the Austral-
| ian cassowary, furnished an occasional
welcome variety in the camp rare.
| Once in awhile a monkey was cooked
and eaten, but the appearance OF Tue
| skinned animal was so suggesuVeiy
| human that few of the college-bred men
| from the north fancied the diet. Inc
eavest of butterflies and moths-some OF
| them bright blue-lent additional grace
notes of Pickering color. But, 10 tell 'he
truth. it was sometimes hard to appre-
] ciate the beauties of nature in the oe-
Initiating tropic heat and humidity, ana
the plague of insects was almost unen-
durable Hundreds of ticks ana req.
bugs. brushed from every leaf, attacneo
themselves to the skin and producea
fostering sores; at night the ieh
scratched themselves till they Eel
; asleep from sheer exhaustion, and theI
t went on scratching with involuntary
galvanic motions.
} Chigoes ('jiggers") !, a kind OF fiea' ial'
eggs unQcr OLE tOCAoli0' IL
4 white sac with black specks appeared
, which broke upon the maturity OF IN
embryonic fieas and itched intoleraply
The ronchos, a parasite of the ring
. worm class, came with the friction o
/ rain-soaked garments, and spread II
/ forms like minute crocus-blossoms al
n over the body. Indolent ulcers, induce
8 bv poisoned scratches, had to be purh
u out with lunar caustic, which meant G
e course lifelong scars. Neither last NO
j. least of the malignant insect parasite
. was the gusano which when first Ell
. sconced looks like bad boil; II lett
mature. a worm an inch long is prt
y duced, which grows with its head II
le ward Qike the intestinal parasites OF tn
" hog) and breathes through its tall
IS is easy enough for the stay-at-home
a. and cabinet surveyors" to belittle tt
le effect of such things on the man In II
in field: the fact remains, that bad watt
II and bad air and the resultant servl'
!. conditions of Generalization have bee
the real causes Of failure, hitherto,
Panama.