CRUZ DAS almas: a BRAZILIAN VILLAGE — PIERSON 



21 



The cupim, or termite, is less destructive than 

 the ant. It may fill a field or a pasture, however, 

 with numerous "ant hills," each of which will 

 average around 214 feet in height, while some hills 

 reach 5 to 6 feet (pi. 20, h) . The presence of these 

 hills obviously constitutes a serious problem for 

 the farmer. Not only do they take up considerable 

 space that otherwise might be used for planting, 

 but they seriously impede tlie operation of animal- 

 drawn implements. These insects also eat their 

 way through wood, and the tunnels thus formed 

 gradually weaken the framework of a house or 

 other building until it eventually collapses. They 

 are difficult to destroy, the most effective means 

 being a sti'ong insecticide in either liquid or powder 

 form. 



A case of malaria occasionally appears in the 

 immediate vicinity of the river, thus attesting to 

 the presence of the Anopheles mosquito. These 

 cases, however, are quite rare and none have been 

 known to occur in the village itself, at least in 

 recent years. A nonmalarial mosquito, however, 

 known locally as the pernilongo,^ is a quite obnox- 

 ious pest to be found in considerable numbers in the 

 area. During the "time of the heat," especially 

 the months from October to December, these mos- 

 quitoes are particularly active. They are a source 

 of intense discomfort to both men and animals. 

 "How they do attack chickens !" said a farm boy. 

 "The other night the little fellows in my chicken 

 house began to cheep something awful. I woke 

 up, jumped out of bed and grabbed my gun, think- 

 ing a gamha had gotten into the chicken hotise. 

 But I found the little fellows were just 'paying 

 the duck.' ^° The pernilongos were sucking the 

 blood right out of them." A local D. D. T. prepa- 

 ration and another insecticide are now coming to 

 be known in the community, but because of their 

 cost are little used. Other blood-sucking gnats 

 referred to by the inhabitants are the polvora 

 {CuUcoides) and the related genera, the horra- 

 chvdo {Simuliitm,) , cangalhinha, and hirigui 

 {Phlehotormis) , all of which are very annoying to 

 a man working in the fields or timber. 



" Most, if not all, of the mosquitoes called locally by this term 

 are not actually the pcrnilongo proper, which is of the Culicidae 

 family amonj^ whose genera are the malaria-carrying Anopheles 

 and the yellow-fever-carrying Aedeaj they are rather of another 

 family, the Tipulidae. 



•' A slang phrase meaning "suffering without reason." 



Serious fly pests, especially so far as livestock 

 is concerned, are the berneira, varejeira, beronha, 

 and botuca. The berneira {Dermatobia hominis) 

 lays eggs on certain flies and mosquitoes which 

 stick to their bodies and eventually hatch into 

 larvae, called berne. The latter then pass from 

 their first hosts on to the skin of animals, includ- 

 ing, occasionally, man. Digging under the skin, 

 they feed upon the new host until they attain 

 as much as an inch or more in length. Cattle 

 sometimes carry several score of these obnoxious 

 guests at one time. The animals obviously suffer 

 considerably, and their hides eventually become 

 worthless. A subcutaneous swelling 2i/o inches 

 in height and 2 inches across was observed to have 

 developed from the action of berne on top of the 

 head of a 6-year old child on a farm in the com- 

 munity. The varejeira {CalUtroga macellaria) 

 lay their eggs directly in a break in the skin, as 

 for instance the unhealed navel of a new-born 

 calf, which then hatch into larvae called vareja. 

 The action of the latter develops large open sores. 

 The beronh-a is a blue fly which lays it eggs o\\ 

 the ears of animals, especially dogs, or in fresh 

 meat. The botuca, elsewhere called the motuca 

 (Tabanidae), sucks the blood of animals but does 

 not deposit eggs on their bodies. More than 200 

 species are known in Brazil. Three are spoken 

 of in the community: one that is black in color 

 and reaches nearly an inch in length; a smaller 

 species that is dark green in color; and a still 

 smaller species that is yellowish brown in color. 

 They are all exceedingly persistent in attacking 

 their victims. 



One of the ever-present pests which detract from 

 the comfort of men and animals is the flea, its 

 bite being serious, however, only when the part 

 becomes infected. The scorpion is occasionally 

 found in the commimity. The curuquere {Ala- 

 bama argillacea), a leaf worm, attacks cotton. 



Snakes, including several poisonous species, 

 abound in the community. The most common non- 

 poisonous snakes are the boa constrictor, the 

 mussurana {Pseudoboa cloelia), one species of 

 coral known locally as the boicard-de-duas-cores " 

 {Erythrolamprus aesculapii), the cobra pimenta 



" Boi, or more accurately mtoi, is a Guaranl word meaning 

 snake ; cord Is a corruption of coral ; de-duas-cores means "of two 

 colors" and is used to distinguish this snake from the poisonous 

 de-trts-corcs (of three colors). 



