FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA. 259 



the Spot. The man was immediately brought to me, but the lungs 

 were lacerated, and he died during the night. 



On another occasion five men were wounded (two fatally) by 

 a lioness which fought so gallantly that she at length escaped from 

 her assailants with two spears in her body. I was not present on 

 that occasion, but I have frequently admired the pluck of the natives, 

 who attack every animal with the simple hunting-spear, which, of 

 course, necessitates close approach. 



NEGROES EAT ALMOST ALL KINDS OF FLESH. 



The Negroes eat everything in the shape of flesh, except the 

 feline beasts of prey. Some of the smaller kinds of felines are as 

 dangerous to poultry as are the large species of falcons and eagles. 

 With respect to several kinds of flesh which are considered by us to 

 be uneatable, we may say that different kinds of monkeys, porcu- 

 pines, large rats, crocodiles, and other creatures, are used for food. 

 It is very singular that the Negroes do not understand the milking 

 of their domestic animals, and were above measure astonished when 

 the explorers' servants milked the goats, and gave the milk to their 

 master ; and the Neoroes often surrounded him in crowds to see him 

 eat hens' eggs, a diet quite new to them, although they ate numbers 

 of the large round eggs of the turtle and the still larger crocodile 



eggs. 



Mosquitoes abound everywhere, and next to them ranks an 

 insect which has only been known in Africa during the last ten 

 years — the sand flea, which is said to have been brought by the 

 crew of a Brazilian ship who were suffering from them. They 

 multiplied with incredible rapidity. The animalculse enter the skin 

 beneath the toe-nails, where they lay a bag of eggs as large as a pea ; 

 and the difficulty is to remove this bag without breaking it. If this 

 is done, the wound soon heals; but if not, painful sores are the 

 result, and the process of healing is very slow. Another interesting 

 insect is the giant beetle, Goliath, an insect measuring nearly four 

 inches. This black velvety beetle, marked with white on its upper 

 side, is at home throughout all Africa; and, with its kindred types, 

 forms one of the principal treasures of our collections, being so 



