MOSQUITOES. 91 
the minds of the bulk of the people absolutely tended 
towards the unbiassed conviction that some mysterious 
connection existed between the large stone and the 
Bauan ladies. Since the introduction of Christianity to 
these districts, it has been found necessary to remove 
the large stone, leaving its numerous posterity behind, 
to get on as best it may. 
During the rainy season, the mouth of the Rewa 
river is notorious for myriads of mosquitoes. On some 
evenings the hetacombs slain by incautious contact with 
the flame, actually put the candles out. Mr. Moore once 
contrived a room on the principle of a mosquito-curtain ; 
but the contrivance was not found to answer, as few 
persons could be induced to purchase freedom from irri- 
tating bites by confinement for several hours of a hot 
night in an insufficiently ventilated kind of cage, which, 
from its very nature, could not be so large as to admit 
of much moving about, or the introduction of lights for 
reading or writing. Mosquitoes are objects to which 
the attention of all new-comers is irresistibly directed. 
Those of Somosomo never favoured us with a call until 
after breakfast, and very obligingly withdrew about sun- 
set, to let us have the evening to ourselves. In other 
parts of the group the evening is their very time for 
paying visits. The moment one of their monotonous 
solos is heard, a tutti will immediately follow. The dif- 
ference between the voices of the various species is al 
most as great as that observable in those of men; and 
a naturalist studying these insects as thoroughly as they 
study him should either possess an ear musically trained 
or else carry a fiddle, in order to determine the exact 
