232 BOY AND WASPS MIDGES. [PART II. 



White, in his Natural History of Selborne, 

 mentions an idiot boy, who had a remarkable 

 penchant for taking the nests of Bees and Wasps, 

 of the stings of which he was perfectly regardless. 

 I knew a similar instance of a mason's son in the 

 Island, who, with all his wits about him, when 

 about nine years old, had the same fearlessness of 

 wasps. He would take one of their nests, and 

 bring it home in his cap, either not being stung, or 

 feeling no pain from the stings. 



We are, happily, comparatively free from 

 Midges in the south of England, but in some parts 

 of Scotland they are sometimes perfectly intole- 

 rable. The best simple preventive against their 

 attacks is, I believe, oil not a pleasant cure, par- 

 ticularly as you feel them trying to crawl after 

 they are stuck in it, but not so bad as the disease. 

 If you anoint your face with this before going into 

 a locality infested by midges, you will soon find 

 it thickly peppered with them, it being in fact for 

 the time converted into a "Catch 'em alive, 0!" 

 Deer's fat is said to be preferable to oil, as it does 

 not dry up so quickly, but, if you carry a small 

 bottle of oil in your pocket, you can renew the 

 application at pleasure. Whisky is of no use. I 

 have washed my face with it, but the midges are 



