THE IGOOGUAI GNAT. 179 
little creature it is. In some regions it is found in such 
great numbers that it is almost impossible to secure quiet 
in the morning, hence the people have to surround them- 
selves with smoke to drive them away ; and one must re- 
main in his hut, which must be filled entirely with 
smoke, in order to be free from them. If I stood still 
outside for a while, my face and hands were covered 
with them. After they have fed themselves their bodies 
become almost of a blood color. You have hardly kill- 
ed one hundred on your hand or face, when a few min- 
utes after the same number is found. Of course you can 
not kill them one by one, so the only way is to pass 
your hand right over them all on your face. My un- 
protected skin was covered then with little red spots as 
if I had the measles. ) 
I really can not*tell you how these cgooguat troub- 
led me; sometimes they almost made me crazy. They 
are most determined blood-suckers, leaving a bite which 
itches terribly and for a considerable time. They are 
only found in open places generally. | 
The heat of the sun had hardly driven the zgooguaz 
out of the field and obliged them to take shelter in the 
- forest or somewhere else (for during the heat of the day 
they do not trouble any one), than the flies—which we 
might call the three plagues—the iboco, the nchouna, and 
the cola, began to make their appearance. These are 
quiet in the morning, and remain so until the sun has 
warmed the atmosphere, then they begin to buzz around 
the people; hence, as you see, there was no peace for 
poor me. [ had hardly got rid of one kind of the igoo- 
guai when I got into the hands of these three other suck- 
ers by way of a change. 
