THE PARASITIC TORMENTS OF BRAZIL. 409 



"one is free from them. I went out for a few days' work in May, 

 returning each -night to town. The wretches were then just 

 hatched, and as small as pins' points. Every night some eighty or 

 a hundred were picked off before they had time to burrow and 

 disappear, for this minute kind ensconces himself entirely beneath 

 the skin. In the dry season I used to sponge myself twice daily 

 with diluted carbolic acid, and cover myself with Keating's powder. 

 It proved rather beneficial, as I found after the day's work that 

 although I was host to hundreds of them, they were generally still 

 roaming, and had not found a place to burrow in, or, at worst, were 

 not firmly fixed. My men advocated various cures — mercurial 

 ointment, cutting them in two with scissors (this is inadvisable, as 

 the head, being left in, festers), inserting a red-hot pin, washing 

 with cachaga and tobacco-water. Captain Burton mentions a 

 Frenchman who was painfully intoxicated after this last process. 

 The ciriema and many other birds are great destroyers of this 

 pest, and are never shot by the natives on that account. 



jFiggers. — The jiggers are called by the natives "bichos do 

 p6," or foot beasties. The word " bicho " is a very comprehensive 

 term in Brazil. When I showed the natives the portrait of 

 Barnum's white elephant in the Graphic, they said, " Oh, que 

 bicho ! " (" Oh, what a creature ! ") Another, speaking of my 

 dog, said, " O cachoro 6 o bicho mais amaroso que ha " (" The 

 dog is the most affectionate animal that exists "). 



The jigger is the Fulex irritans, or subintrans, or minimus, or 

 penetrans {Aphanipiera, Kirby), known also as chigre, cheger, 

 chegre, chegve, chigo, chigoe, chigger, jigger, nigua (Span.), chica, 

 chique (Fr.), tungua, tumbyra, pique, and chigua. This wretch is too 

 well known to need any description. It is generally only taken 

 from old and dirty houses, and I never came across it. until I had 

 my own hired house at Brumado; then I soon made its ac- 

 quaintance, but found that was due to going about in slippers 

 without socks. I had only five in my feet from January to June. 

 As they are generally supposed to burrow under the toe-nails, I 

 may mention the habitat of my little guests — the first on the right 

 big toe, second and third on right and left heel, and two under 

 the sole of my left foot. I extracted them all myself. I never 

 felt them, but found on examination a hard black speck. I then 



