52 IN THE GUIANA FOREST. 



abound, and that they will penetrate the skin by 

 hundreds, and produce unsightly ulcers and even 

 dangerous sores. Poor little fellow ! he looks 

 miserable enough as he lies naked on the bare 

 sand, and learns that his finger nails were made 

 to scratch himself when what may be called the 

 "sweet itching" is particularly troublesome. 

 Occasionally, his mother makes a raid on the 

 pests, picking them out one by one with a palm 

 needle, or brass pin if she has one. But, notwith- 

 standing these intermittent operations, and even 

 as a result of the punctures, the child is more 

 generally covered with sores and scars produced 

 by sand and dirt. Sometimes these ulcers are 

 alive with fly larvae, and have to be dressed with 

 hot ashes, which causes much pain, but even then 

 the child does not scream. 



Morning and evening he is taken down to the 

 creek and encouraged to throw his limbs about 

 until able to swim, which art he has often acquired 

 before he can walk alone. If at all backward on 

 his feet he is stimulated by the application of 

 hucu ants. Taking one of these virulent creatures 

 between his forefinger and thumb, his father lets it 

 bite the little crawler until he strives with might 

 and main to get away. The sight of one of the 

 ants makes him get up and toddle away, soon 



