22() THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



soms of the eggs remaining in the wound. New comers are 

 particularly subject to these creatures. Waterton, who by 

 practice appears to have become very expert in eradicating 

 chegoes' nests, once took four out of his feet in the course of 

 the day, and a negress extracted no less than eighty-three out 

 of Richard Schomburgk's toes in one sitting. ' Every evening,' 

 says the venerable naturalist of Walton Hall, ' before sundown, 

 it was part of my toilet to examine my feet and see that they 

 were clear of chegoes. Now and then a nest would escape the 

 scrutiny, and then I had to smart for it a day or two after. A 

 chegoe once lit upon the back of my hand : wisliful to see how 

 he worked, I allowed him to take possession. He immediately 

 set to work head foremost, and in about half an hour he had 

 completely buried himself in the skin. I then let him feel the 

 point of my knife, and exterminated him.' 



If the prompt extraction of the chegoes' nests is neglected, the 

 worm-like larvae creep out, continue the mining operations of 

 their parent, and produce a violent inflammation, which may end 

 in the mortification of a limb. It not unfrequently happens 

 that negroes from sheer idleness or negligence in the first instance 

 have been lamed for life and become loathsome to the sight. In 

 such a state, these miserable objects are incurable, and death 

 only puts an end to their sufferings. 



A still more dangerous plague, peculiar to the coast of 

 Guinea and the interior of tropical Africa, to Arabia, and 

 the adjacent countries, is the Filaria medinensis of Lin- 

 nseus. This dreaded worm comes to the herbage in the 

 morning dew, from whence it pierces the skin, and enters 

 the feet of such as walk without shoes, causing the most 

 painful irritation, succeeded by violent inflammation and 

 fever. The natives extract it with the greatest caution by 

 twisting a piece of silk round one extremity of the body and 

 withdrawing it very gently. When we consider that this insi- 

 dious worm is frequently twelve feet long, although not thicker 

 than a horse-hair, we can readily imagine the difficulty of the 

 operation. If unfortunately the animal should break, the part 

 remaining under the skin grows with redoubled vigour, and fre- 

 quently occasions a fatal inflammation. 



One of these most unwelcome intruders once entered 

 Bampier's ankle. ' I was in great torment,' says this enter- 



