108 MARSHES 



that he was free from pain, but felt very weak and faint. 

 It was some weeks before the man got thoroughly strong 

 again." 



No one can pass along the little narrow banks and paths which 

 divide the rice-fields without noticing the large dragonflies 

 which dart over the water. Their colours are very various. A 

 rich crimson, steely-blue and old gold are some of these. They 

 are voracious creatures, as their name implies, and I saw one, 

 one day, deliberately, and audibly, crunching up a smaller 

 one. At another time, however, I noticed a fair-sized one being 

 devoured by a spider, which was barred with lines like a zebra. 



The marshes in Imerina are not useless to the people, for a 

 variety of useful plants grow there and are also planted in them. 

 Among these are the Herana, a sedge which grows to three or 

 four feet in height, and is extensively used for thatching native 

 houses. If the roof is a proper pitch this sedge is very durable, 

 and when cut and trimmed has a very neat appearance. Then 

 there is the Zozdro, a much taller sedge, closely allied to the 

 papyrus, with a triangular stem, and a feathery head of flowers. 

 The strong tough peel is used to make the excellent mats em- 

 ployed for flooring, and also all sorts and sizes of baskets ; the 

 pith is used for stuffing pillows and mattresses ; and the stems 

 firmly fixed together are used for temporary doors and window 

 shutters, and for beds. A rush, called Hdzondrdno, is employed 

 for making baskets and mats. 



As the colder weather advances, the mornings are often 

 foggy, at least a thick white mist covers the plains and valleys 

 soon after the sun rises and remains for an hour or two until 

 his increasing power disperses it. Seen from the higher grounds 

 and from the most elevated parts of the capital, this mist often 

 presents a very beautiful appearance ; a billowy sea of vapour 

 is brilliantly lit up by the sunlight, and out of this sea the hill- 

 tops rise up like islands. But these misty mornings also reveal 

 many things which cannot be seen, or can only be seen by very 

 close observation, in clear sunshine, especially the webs of 

 various species of spider. There they are all the time, but we 

 are not aware of their presence except on a misty autumn or 

 winter morning, when a very delicate thread and filmy net is 

 marked out by minute drops of moisture which reveal all their 



