ANIMAL KINGDOM. 103 



Myriapocla. — The mainland, and particularly the islets at the 

 Bocas, have gained a notoriety for the immense size of their 

 centipedes, some of them being more than twelve inches long ; 

 the centipedes bite severely, and are venomous, but never to the 

 extent of the scorpions, though the pain is locally more acute. 

 The congori [lulus) is perfectly innocuous to man, but injures 

 fruits and flowers. Ammonia, lime-juice, and the musk-ochro, 

 are excellent remedies for accidents arising from the virus of the 

 above insects, but the guaco is by far the best : the part must 

 be well rubbed with the extract or tincture, and some taken 

 internally. When the plant itself is within reach, let it be 

 pounded or bruised previous to its application to the part 

 affected, the juice being also taken internally at the same time. 



Insecta. — The bete-rouge is very troublesome from the itching 

 it causes ; thousands of them sometimes collect on the heads of 

 horses and other animals. 



Ticks (Bicinus). — These are very troublesome insects : there 

 are two distinct species^ — the tick and the garrapato. The tick 

 is larger, of the size, colour, and appearance of the castor-oil 

 seed; whence its zoological name Ricinus. It adheres to the 

 hide of animals, particularly to the inside of the ears, and other 

 denuded parts. The garrapato is smaller, flat, and of a brown 

 colour; it is particularly common in underbrush and the high 

 woods. It sticks to animals exactly like the tick, but its hold 

 is firmer, and when efforts are made to tear it away, it breaks, 

 and its sucker, remaining fixed in the skin, causes an intolerable 

 itching for weeks and months. Ticks and garrapatos sometimes 

 collect by hundreds on the animals allowed to pasture in the 

 natural savannahs ; they particularly follow horned cattle, horses, 

 mules, and dogs. Some of these animals may be said to contract 

 at times a tick-disease, hundreds of them being found sticking 

 to the hide a few days after as many had been removed. The 

 best remedy against these insect-pests is the carapa-oil : they die 

 within one or two days after its having been applied. 



Chigoes {Pulex penetrans) are very common ; however, they 

 prefer dry, dusty localities, and multiply particularly where 

 animals herd together for rest : the numbers bred in such spots 

 at certain seasons are sometimes enormous. The chigo is not 

 only troublesome on account of the itching and pain it occasions, 

 but may become, from neglect and uncleanly habits, the cause of 



