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,08 



VERMIN. 



meeting with these or other vermin of less import- 

 ance became so habitual with me (and indeed is 

 so with most persons), that when I was about to 

 begin to read, I closed the book in the first place 

 violently so as to crush any thing that might have 

 crept in between the leaves ; when my hat or 

 boots, or clothes were put on, some precaution 

 was taken, as a thing of course ; this was not 

 done from a direct idea of the likelihood of 

 rinding any thing unpleasant in that immediate 

 instance ; but the precaution was entered into 

 from habit, unconsciously. I was one day bit 

 by a lacraia ; I had mounted my horse, and had 

 taken my umbrella in my hand for the purpose 

 of shading me from the sun when I had advanced 

 farther upon my ride ; when I was in the act of 

 opening it, I felt suddenly a violent pain upon the 

 fleshy part of the inside of one of my hands ; on 

 looking down I soon saw what it was that had 

 bitten me, upon which I turned back, and rode 

 home. I applied the juice of lemons to the part, 

 and in about half an hour, not rinding any parti- 

 cularly disagreeable sensations, again mounted 

 my horse. The only effect which I experienced 

 from the bite was a numbness in my hand for the 

 remainder of the day, and a redness about the 

 point which was immediately affected ; but on 

 the following day the former was removed, and 

 the latter did not last long. Labat mentions an 

 instance in which the bite of a scorpion caused 



