AGARRA-PATA. 205 



or on foot, as he sweeps past the branches he 

 brushes off some of these insects, which soon 

 make their way in great quantities under the 

 leather or skin leggings. They create such 

 an intolerable itching by crawling all over the 

 body, and burrowing with their sharp claws, 

 as effectually to drive away sleep from the 

 traveller, who has not the opportunity of 

 taking off his clothes to get rid of them. 

 Everybody travelling, during that season, car- 

 ries with him a lump of well-worked wax, 

 and when an opportunity occurs, such as a 

 rest at noonday on a sandy bank of a river- 

 side, where there are no agarra-patas, he gets 

 rid of these insects by pressing the wax 

 wherever a black spot is seen ; the insect 

 comes off in the wax, and this is the only 

 way of getting rid of the nuisance. When 

 the rains and fires make their appearance this 

 plague ceases, and only reappears eight 

 months* afterwards. If the wild beasts, and 

 more especially the cuyote, did not effectually 

 prevent any breed of sheep or goats being 

 kept in the more open parts of the country, 

 the agarra-pata would very soon worry them 

 to death. 



Another curse to comfort, but which* is 

 confined to towns and villages, is the " nigua," 



