172 Journal of Travel and Natural History 



helped me to pick the wretches off my body and clothes, and to get in order 

 again. Since that adventure I have always been careful not to interrupt the 

 social migrations of ants." p. 133. 



With fleas and flies, cockroaches, et hoc genus omne, he had 

 many Httle distresses, which are pleasanter to read of than to have 

 experienced, 



"I have been badly bitten since I have been here by a little pest of a fly 

 which abounds near the house ; it raises small swellings or blisters about the 

 size of a small pea, which are most irritating, and, if scratched, speedily turn 

 into sores. The backs of my hands and knuckles are so swollen that I cannot 

 close my left hand at all. Every one suffers, but I far worse than any one else. 

 At last I discovered the reason ; it is only because I wear black clothes, and 

 every one else avoids black. An engineer said to me the other night, ' I 

 always like to sit next to you in the verandah. " I began to feel flattered, and 

 to give my neighbour much more credit for discernment than I had supposed. 

 Clearly his was an appreciating mind, which could understand and value re- 

 spectable society. ' And I'll tell you why. Sir; because then I am never bitten 

 by these beggars of flies ; the heat of your clerical black clothes draws together 

 all the borrachados in the place. Yes, Sir, you are a public benefactor ; they 

 will never hurt any one in white, so long as you are dressed in black.' I am 

 doomed to be a benefactor, I fear (for my wardrobe will supply little but black), 

 and to be bitten for my improvidence before I left England. May all men sing 

 my praises as they ought." p. 146. 



The skimmings we have given are a fair indication of the con- 

 tents of this work. Biased or not, we have no hesitation in say- 

 ing it is one of the pleasantest books we have read for many a day. 



