34 VOYAGES OF A NATURALIST 



After some experience I have found that the 

 best, in fact the only, time to do really good work 

 in the way of collecting in the tropics, is a few hours 

 after daybreak, and again some two hours before 

 dark. Only then can one work with comfort, 

 but, what is more important, the birds at these 

 times appear to be more numerous and more 

 easily approached. Towards mid-day every sign 

 of animal life seems to disappear, and there is no 

 doubt that at that hour mammals and birds hide 

 away in the comparative cool of the thickest part 

 of the forest. 



Altogether these few days in camp on Itaparica 

 proved to be most interesting, and although we 

 suffered to a great extent from mosquitoes and 

 grass-ticks, from the latter especially, we were well 

 pleased with our results. 



The ticks were a source of great annoyance, 

 and, in spite of all we could do to prevent them, 

 they swarmed on our clothing and buried them- 

 selves in our skins. When once fixed in the skin 

 it is a very difficult matter to remove them, as 

 they quickly bury their heads, and if any force 

 is used in removing them, their heads break off 

 and remain in the flesh, where they often cause a 

 bad wound. 



The part of the island in which we were camped 

 did not appear to be thickly populated. Along 

 the shore there were a number of small houses 

 tenanted mostly by fishermen, but in one or two 



