372 NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP. 



to stream in, she devoutly crossed herself, muttered 

 some invocation or exorcism, and sprinkled the 

 water gently over them. Then walking quietly 

 round and round the hut, she continued her asper- 

 sion on the marauders, and thereby literally so 

 damped their ardour that they began to beat a 

 retreat, and in ten minutes not an ant was to be 

 seen. 



Some years afterwards I was residing in a farm- 

 house on the river Daule, near Guayaquil, when I 

 witnessed a similar invasion. The house was large, 

 of two stories, and built chiefly of bamboo-cane- 

 the walls being merely an outer and an inner layer 

 of cane, without plaster inside or out, so that they 

 harboured vast numbers of cockroaches, scorpions, 

 rats, mice, bats, and even snakes, although the 

 latter abode chiefly in the roof. Notwithstanding 

 the size of the house, every room was speedily filled 

 with the ants. The good lady hastened to fasten 

 up her fresh meat, fish, sugar, etc., in safes in- 

 accessible even to the ants ; and I was prompt to 

 impart my experience of the efficacy of baptism by 

 water in ridding a house of such pests. ' Oh," 

 said she laughingly, "we know all that; but let 

 them first have time to clear the house of vermin ; 

 for if even a rat or a snake be caught napping, they 

 will soon pick his bones." They had been in the 

 house but a very little while when we heard a 

 great commotion inside the walls, chiefly ot mice 

 careering madly about and uttering terrified squeals ; 

 and the ants were allowed^to remain thus, and hunt 

 over the house at will, for three days and nights, 

 when, having exhausted their legitimate game, they 

 be^an to be troublesome in the kitchen and on the 



