The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-20
HOME IN EQUATORIAL BRAZIL.
Varied Colored Houses-simple Furnish
inss-Ants That Eat Paintings.

Varied Colored Houses-Simple Furnish
inss-Ants mat Eat Paintings.
The houses Of Para and Manaos are a.
full Of openwork as summer shirtwaistA
Unlike the houses Of the Guianas. wood 10
little used in their construction. The
walls, both exterior and interior, are Of
brick and plaster. the floors and roofs
Of tile, and the ornamental fronts Of terra
GOTTA or stuooo.
The latter are done in all shades Of blue.
red, yellow and green, and these, with the
laoquered verte emeraude Of the magnolia
shade trees, the tawny hues Of the river.
the ~ohrysoprase tints in the broad bitches
OF clear water, and the deep cobalt of the
tropical sky, make a color combination
seldom equaIled.
The interiors Of the houses are Furnished
as scantily and lightly as is compatible
with comfort. Draperies and uphol-
stored furniture are obviously Il Of
place in such a climate. and the excess
Of chairs, tables and dfvans provided In
other places for show are here eliminated
to give the air a chance to circulate. Car
pets are never o on the floors. and
rugs seldom; nor are the walls or ceilings
ever papered. The latter is often done
In fretwork designs. which allows the
air. and incidentally the insects, an OBJ
p~ortunity Of moving in and out at
the roof vents. ?
The ubiq uitous mt OF this region has
an especial fondness for gilt picture
| Tram es. He can make no impression
on the enamelfke surface OF the gilt
itself, but II he can secure an entranoeR !.
a sixteenth of az inch in diameter into
the soft wood at the back he will leave.
nothing but a golden shell, ready to fail
to pieces at the first touch, at the end Of
a months work.
Oil paint on canvas. Irrespective OF
what kind of a scene 1t may depict. writes
a correspondent Of the Los Angeles Times.
is also a favorite piece de resistance
Of these greedy pests. was shown
what was once a very fair copy Of
Leonardo da vinci's Last Supper.
nants furnishing an interesting. object
lesson in the gastronomio preferences
Of the Brazilian house ant. Certain =
pigments appeared to have pleased them,
others to have repelled them, the result
being that while all Of the hands and feet
the garments-especially the geudily
oolored ones-were left untouched, the
lines Of the cutting conforming in many
places as smoothly to the painted divi-
sions as though made by a knife.
The work Of destruction was interrupted
at the cnd OF the first night, and It -
probable that in a day or two moro they.
would have taken the whole painting,
frame and all. The remarkable direo-
ton taken by their first meal was most
| likely due to the fact that the paint which
was laid on for flesh yielded to their at
tack somewhat easier than any Of thu
rest.
An insect proof backing to the frame
and a cover Of glass for the picture itself.
q painting in this country. The pictures
most often seen in north Brazilian homes
OF the better, class are glass covered en-
cravings OF religious subjects, enolosed
In a frame OF camphor wood. the latter,
in common with Colorado quebraoho
and several other native timbers, not
being subject to attacks by ants. p.