3318 Zoology of Panama. 



Crabs, shrimps and prawns are obtained in any quantity. Spiders 

 are numerous; and several kinds, with corneous spines and curi- 

 ously-shaped bodies, are found in Darien. Scorpions are frequent ; 

 their bites produce the utmost pain, together with great swelling 

 of the wounded part, and, in some cases, slight fever. The Gar- 

 rapatas or ticks [Ixodes sp.), which are literally swarming in the 

 woods, are a very great annoyance to both man and beast. Adher- 

 ing firmly to all parts of the body, they are only to be removed by 

 scraping them off with a knife, or washing the skin with spirits. The 

 dry season is most favourable for their development ; during the wet 

 they are not so frequent, but are then more than replaced by the Co- 

 loraditas, very minute red animals, which exist in the grassy plains in 

 such prodigious numbers, and the pain they cause by introducing 

 themselves into the human skin is of such an irritating nature, that 

 they may justly be considered the greatest plague of the Isthmus. 



The Nigua or jigger [Pulex penetrans, Linn.), another insect an- 

 noying to mankind, occurs principally on the higher mountains. It 

 enters the tender parts of the feet, under the nails, between the toes, 

 &c, and is not discovered until it has attained some size and deposits 

 its eggs, requiring some skill to extract. Its ally, the common flea 

 [Pulex irritans, Linn.), and most vermin common in cooler regions, 

 are fortunately rare. 



Beetles are not numerous, but those that occur are very beautiful. 

 The carrion-feeders are scarce, while, on the contrary, those Coleo- 

 ptera which subsist on vegetable substances are numerous, proba- 

 bly the natural consequence of the rapid decomposition of animal 

 matter. Some are phosphorescent : the Cocullo gives so brilliant a 

 light that it is possible to read by it ; the women collect them in the 

 sugar-plantations, for the purpose of decorating their hair in the even- 

 ing, when they have the appearance of diamonds. 



Myriads of fire-flies are swarming in the forest. Several species of 

 cockroaches {Blatta, sp.), stick-insects [Mantis, sp.), and many other 

 Orthoptera, among them various kinds of crickets, have been noticed. 

 A cricket, the Cigarro of the natives, attains the length of six inches, 

 and is probably the largest of these animals in existence. The Gor- 

 gojo [Cicada, sp.) has the peculiarity of making a sound not unlike 

 the hissing of snakes, and strangers are apt to mistake the one for the 

 other. When at Coyba, one of the officers of II. M. steamer "Samp- 

 son," had ventured some distance in the wood in search of game. All 

 at once, wherever he turned, the hissing of snakes met his ear. He 



