THE ZIMB. 225 



together, though their number was in a 

 tenfold proportion greater than it really is. 



" This insect is called Zimb ; it has not 

 been described by any naturalist. It is in 

 size very little larger than a bee ; and his 

 wings, which are broader than those of a 

 bee, placed separate like those of a fly. As 

 soon as this plague appears, and their buz- 

 zing is heard, all the cattle forsake their 

 food, and run wildly about the plain till 

 they die, worn out with fatigue, fright, and 

 hunger. No remedy remains for the resi- 

 dents on such spots, but to leave the black 

 earth, and hasten down to the sands of 

 Atbara, and there they remain while the 

 rains last, this cruel enemy never daring to 

 pursue them farther. 



" What enables the shepherd to perform 

 the long and toilsome journey across Africa 

 is the camel, emphatically called the Ship 

 of the Desert. Though his size is immense, 

 as is his strength, and his body covered with 

 a thick skin, defended with strong hair, yet 

 still he is not capable to sustain the violent 

 punctures this fly makes with his proboscis. 

 He must lose no time in removing to the 



