GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA. 253 



bad, and its unceasing hum is almost more calculated to drive a 

 new-comer to despair than its painful burning sting. 



At certain times its worm-like larvae aboimd in all standing 

 waters, swarm in the drinking water, which can only be drunk when 

 strained through a cloth, or, as is the usual practice w^ith the poorer 

 classes, through the coat-sleeve held between the pitcher and the 

 lips. Vermin are only too abundantly represented; fleas, bugs, and 

 lice of every kind abound, besides scorpions, tarantulas, centipedes, 

 and leeches, and those implacable tormentors of animals, horse- 

 flies and gnats. The monotonous character of the whole country is 

 perceptible throughout its flora and fauna, for in almost every class 

 of the animal world the number of varieties is comparatively small. 



