222 



' In conclusion, I may say, like Mr. Howard, that it is impos- 

 sible to cope successfully with the mosquitoes, surrounded as we 

 are by woods and swamps, l)ut I may safely assure you that by 

 using petroleum and keeping the little fish mentioned above, the 

 numbers of mosquitoes Avill be considerably diminished in the 

 houses in the towns, — the chief aim of this paper. 



I may also add a remedy that is used in Bolivar on the 

 Orinoco, where the mosquitoes are very bad at times. It was 

 communicated to me by our President, and consists of hanging 

 Eucalyptus branches before the windows. The smell of this plant 

 is supposed to drive away the mosquitoes. 



r. w. UfiicH. 



2nd June. 



TICKS ON AN IGUANA. 



A short time ago while on a visit to Carrera's Island, to pass 

 away an idle hour we amused ourselves lassooing the iguanas, which 

 came to feed upon the young leaves and buds of a sandbox tree 

 which shades the cottage. Several were caught in this way a,nd 

 their final end was a fricasee, which was evidently enjoyed by the 

 cook and others. — However this has nothing to do with my object 

 of writing, but to record a fact which is interesting to the 

 naturalist. 



On the back of one of the largest iguanas caught was im- 

 bedded a mass of ticks, one of which was certainly the largest I 

 have ever seen and it might have well stood for the father of all 

 this kind of parasite. It was a shiny light stone colour, three 

 quarters of an inch in length and about half an inch broad, in 

 fact it was nearly as broad as long. It had four hair-like legs on 

 each side of the underpart, as its means of locomotion. This 

 enormous tick had eaten its way through the thick scaly skin of 

 the iguana into the raw flesh which was exposed. It was sur- 

 rounded by a mass of smaller ticks which gave it the appearance of 

 having a beard. I had to cut away the whole with a pair of 

 scissors, so tenacious was their hold upon the unfortunate iguana. 



I much regret that I did not keep the specimen for infoi*- 

 mation, but I was anxious, like the school boy, to see what was 

 inside. — ¥/hat the result was, proved how much suffering and loss 

 these i^arasites can inflict on the bodies to which they attach 

 themselves. 



