THE MOSQUITO. 209 



forests. There is no keeping these little busybodies out 

 of the tent, and it is no joke if a great bull-dog, or soldier- 

 ant, about an inch long, finds its way up the leg of your 

 trousers. Swarms of mosquitos hover over every marsh 

 and water-hole in the evening, and myriads of sand-flies, 

 hardly perceptible to the naked eye, are sure to attack 

 the back of your neck and ears when seated by a water- 

 hole, quietly watching for a duck or pigeon at evening. 

 These are the only insects I really cared for. I could 

 generally keep the mosquitos off by the smoke of my 

 pipe, but with the sand-flies I could do nothing. The 

 Australian bug is harmless, luckily, for it is about the 

 size and shape of an almond ; and as for fleas, they breed 

 in the sand, so that it is easy to guess their name is 

 legion. The blight in the eye, -which is so common here 

 during the summer, especially on the diggings, is brought 

 on, I believe, by a small fly. The sting of the scorpion 

 and centipede are not only very painful, but very danger- 

 ous. A little sweet oil promptly applied soon cures the 

 bites of the others. 



