Introduction xxxix 



easily settle upon it, even if one frequently 

 applies a thick coating of whitewash. A lot of 

 borer insects attack it also, so that it will not 

 last more than half a dozen years, when it 

 has to be renewed at considerable personal 

 discomfort to the dwellers in the house. 



Mosquitoes are also apt to favour such a 

 house if it is not frequently cleaned and white- 

 washed, and all doors and windows should 

 have screens for keeping out mosquitoes, flies, 

 and other noxious insects. In many localities, 

 especially where the house is not built well 

 above the ground level, one must also expect 

 such unwelcome visitors as snakes, lizards, 

 centipedes, scorpions, and other denizens of 

 the jungle. I am not of a nervous dis- 

 position, but, like a good many people, I 

 object to a houseful of such weird guests. 

 They will surely put in an appearance if they 

 are not kept out by the aforementioned means. 

 Mosquitoes are the " bane par excellence " of 

 the Tropics. On most coco - nut - growing 

 ground they are not the recognized fever- 

 carrying species, but then one never knows 

 what any mosquito may not carry and convey 

 in the process of helping itself to your blood, 

 which operation alone, moreover, is heartily 

 resented by all and sundry. Better keep them 

 all out. Fine-mesh wire netting does not 

 cost much, and any native carpenter is able 

 to make well-fitting frames for your windows 

 and doors. All beds and sleeping-places 



