The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-02-26
AN INSECTS TRAVELS
Progress of a South American Pest
Around the World. =
The Small But Troublesome JIgEeq
Is Finding Its Way Into Every
Warm COuntry-TranspOrt-
ed I'm Sand.

The jigger, one of the insect pests of
the WestIndies and South America, has
at last crossed equatorial Africa from
the Atlantic to Zanzibar. about 2,700
miles, 20 years after it's introduction
into the continent. This variety of the
flea, much smaller than the common
flea, is very troublesome, and il its at
tacks upon a few animals, including
man, are not prevented, it is sometimes
fatal to life. The fact that its gradual
advance among the natives of Africa
threw them into CONSERVATION, often
causing the abandonment of villages
and districts, has made it easy to trace
its progress step by step, and brief
summary of its journey across Africa
will be interesting as striking illus
tration of insect navigation.
A sailing vessel arrived at Ambriz,
Angola, in September, 1872, from Brazil
with sand ballast, which she dumped
on the beach. The iigger had crossed
the ocean in this sand, andits propensi-
ty for boring through the skin and
lodging between the cuticle and the
flesh soon made its presence known.
There are effective means of preventing
its attacks, but before the natives
learned how to deal with it the little
pest caused great suffering. 1t was
long ago evident that the jigger was not
using its own powers of locomotion to
any large extent in its journey through
Africa, but that it was carried by cara
vans in the porterage service.
In 1885 travellers crossing the CONT
nent from Zanzibar heard nothing of
the jigger till they arrived within 300
miles of the Atlantic. 1t had taken the
insect 10 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, but sent on colonies
further up the river. Thenceforth the
jgger's progress was more rapid, for
steamboats, and caravans were multi
plying on the upper Congo. Seven
years later. in 1892. DR. Oscar Baumann
reported the arrival of the pest at Blu
llumbi gulf, midway on the south coast
of Victoria Nyanza. IT. was still un-
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 APP
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 infliction, 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 20 miles of the coast,
and another year elapsed before, late
last fall, it was jumping along the sands
of Zanzibar island.
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 the jig
ger.
After its long journey from Brazil the
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.