Ch.VII. south AMERICA. 63 



the entrance, while the two claws are employed in its 

 defence, the gripe of which is attended with the fame 

 fymptoms as the fting of a Icorpion. In both cafes the 

 patient is carefully kept from drinking any water, 

 which has been known to bring on convulfions ; and 

 thefe always prove fatal. 



The inhabitants relate, that when this creature grows 

 too large for making its way into the fhell which was 

 its retreat, it retires to the fea-coafl^, in order to find 

 there a larger, where killing the wilk, whofe fhell beft 

 fuits him, he takes poiTeffion of it, which is indeed 

 the fame method it took to obtain its firft habitation. 

 This lafi: circumftance, and the dcfire of feeing the 

 form of fuch a creature, induced Don George Juan 

 and myfelf to dcfire the inhabitants to procure us 

 fome ; and upon examination, we found all the above- 

 mentioned particulars Were really true ; except thf" 

 bite, which we did not choofe to experience. 



There are feveral other forts of inieds remaining, 

 which, though fmaller, yet afford equal reatbn for ad- 

 miration to a curious examiner ; particularly the in- 

 finite variety of maripofas, or butterflies, which, 

 though differing vifibly in figure, colours, and deco- 

 rations, we are at a lofs to determine which is the mofl 

 beautiful. 



If thele are fo entertaining to the fight, there are 

 others no lefs troublefome ; fo that it would be more 

 eligible to difpcnfe with the plealure of feeing the 

 former, than to be continually tortured by the latter ; 

 as the mofchetos, of which large clouds may be feen, 

 efpecially among the favannahs and manglares, or 

 plantations of mangrove-trees, fo that the one, as 

 affording the herbage on which they feed, and the 

 other, as the places where they produce their young, 

 are rendered impaflable. 



There are four principal fpccies of this infcd : the 

 firft called zancudos, w^hich are thelargeft; the fecond 

 the mofchetos, differing little or nothing from thofe 



of 



