282 THE WILD FOWL. 



very long practice to learn to shoot at the whistling 

 wings as the masses of fowl fly by you. 



There is, however, one drawback which a European 

 sportsman, newly arrived in the country, would dis- 

 approve of — the mosquitoes. These little pests take 

 kindly to the thick, saccharine, beery blood of your 

 well-fed Britisher ; and when they bite, they puff up the 

 parts and irritate him till he learns to swear at the 

 ' cusses.' The natives, or those acclimatized, however, 

 suffer but little : their blood has become so thin that 

 no swelling or irritation follows the bite ; and, in fact, 

 they look with rather a kindly eye upon the little 

 wretches, for, being case-hardened themselves, they ra- 

 ther enjoy the sufferings of the ^ Johnny New-comes.' 



Indeed, we remember having read one argument in 

 favour of the mosquitoes in the ' Big B'ar of Arkansaw,' 

 where Jim Doggett is praising up his native State of 

 Arkansas, and which may as well be quoted for the 

 benefit of those who have not seen it : 



' '' It's a State without a fault, it is," ' said Jim 

 Doo'ofett. 



* " Excepting mosquitoes," ' said a Hoosier (an 

 Indianian). 



' " Well, stranger, except them ; for it ar' a fact that 

 they are enormous, and do push themselves in some- 

 what troublesome. But they never stick tmce in the 

 same place ; and give them a fair chance for a few 

 months, and you will get as much above noticing them 



