A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



pitch my tent under certain trees, especially willows, 

 also to tie a handkerchief round my neck, and in 

 fact to cover all bare skin when passing through 

 particular tracts of jungle ; but I was soon to be 

 taught the cause of this solicitude by an object 

 lesson. Having one day neglected their cautions 

 and brushed against a bush in one of these tracts 

 with my bare wrist, I presently felt a tingling 

 sensation which, on my rubbing the place, seemed 

 to grow worse, and on return to camp became 

 inflamed and swollen ; I did not recover from this 

 for ten days or a fortnight, and afterwards did as 

 I was told ! I found out afterwards that the trees 

 and jungle were in some places almost stripped of 

 leaves, and were covered with what looked like 

 spider-webs, but which were in reality nests of small 

 hairy caterpillars rather like those of our Currant- 

 moth (Abraxas grossulariata). It appears that these 

 on contact leave their hairs in one's skin with the 

 afore-mentioned irritating effect. When " stung " 

 the natives scrub the place with earth or sand, 

 which may remove the hairs ; but rubbing with the 

 hand seems to have the effect of sending them into 

 the skin with the unpleasant result described. I 

 was not sorry to hear that these pests did not exist 

 beyond Kangan. The natives told me that until 

 some three years previously, they had been unknown, 

 and I should think that they are praying for their 

 speedy departure. 



From Kangan the next march was to Goond 



9 



