MOSQUITOES— JIGGERS. 



585 



In Angola, Livingstone found the banks of the river Seuza infested by legions of 

 the most ferocious mosquitoes he ever met with during the course of his long travels. 

 The torment which they inflicted was, he says, " at least equal to a nail throufrh the 

 heel of one's boot, or the toothache." Edwards, on his voyage up the Amazon, was 

 no less tormented by these troublesome pests. " Nets were of no avail, even if the 

 oppressive heat would have allowed them ; for those which could not creep throuf^h 

 the meshes would in some other way find entrance in spite of every precaution. 

 Thick breeches they laughed at, and the interior of the cabin seemed a bee-hive. 

 This would not do, so we tried the deck, but fresh swarms continually poured over us, 



THE MOSQUITO — NATURAL SIZE, AND MAGNIFIED. 



and all night long we were foaming with vexation and rage." During his sojourn in 

 the Peruvian forests, Tschudi lay for several days almost motionless, with a swollen 

 head and limbs, in consequence of the bite of these intolerable flies ; and although by 

 degrees the skin became more accustomed to the nuisance, and swelling no longer fol- 

 lowed, yet their sting never failed to cause great pain. During three months of the 

 year they infest the province of Maynas to such a degree, that even the stoical Indians 

 utter loud complaints, and the dogs endeavor to escape them by burying themselves in 

 the sand. 



The Chegoe, Pique, or Jigger of the West Indies {Pulex penetrans), is another 

 great torment of the hot countries of America. It looks exactly like a small flea, and 



