156 ' INSECTS. 



stung. Both times I felt the effect of the stings for 

 seven or eight days. 



Centipedes, about six inches long, are by no means 

 uncommon in the south of Japan. Waiting for deer 

 once, I leant against a big fir-tree, and was enjoying 

 the perfect stillness that reigned through the great 

 woods. I had wandered away in thought to our own 

 island in the far west, and was wondering when next 

 I should see it, when I heard a sort of scratching on 

 the bark of the tree close to my ear. Moving just 

 sufficiently to see what was the cause, I found a centi- 

 pede, quite six inches long, quietly walking up the 

 stem. I was once bitten on my head by a small one, 

 but suffered no serious inconvenience, although I felt 

 it for some days. 



Mosquitoes, in some localities, are great pests. The 

 natives have curtains fitted to enclose the whole room, 

 which is an excellent plan ; and in some parts of the 

 country, life would be a burden without them. These 

 little brutes never were sufficiently fond of me to be- 

 come a torment; but when reading or resting in the 

 daytime, one was relieved from their constant buzzing 

 sound if these large curtains were up, and at night 

 they were a great comfort. 



In the summer, the swamps in the east of Yesso are 



