150 A. C. OUDEMANS. ACARI. 



a few islets iiear the Eastern Straits, a. o. the isle of Rumbobo. The little trips never con- 

 tinuée! longer than one day; lie never passed the night aland. This sufficiently explicates why 

 the itch only was felt on the legs. The place above the ancles, above the borders of the 

 shoes is very characteristic. Of TEYSMANN's written Journal or Report to the Government 

 of Netherlands-India, several passages are published by ROBIDÉ VAN DER Aa. One of thèse 

 runs as follows (p. 57): 



„Na de wandeling op Roembobo bemerkte ik, evenals de heeren, die mij vergezeld 

 hadden, honderde roode blaasjes boven de enkels, die een ondragelijken jeuk veroorzaakten. 

 Men weet dit aan het zeewater, dat wij doorwaad hadden, oin de prauw te bereiken, maar 

 ik hield het voor een soort van vlooien, die zich overal in de maleo-nesten ophouden. Het 

 wrijven met spiritus gaf veel baat; na drie dagen verminderde de jeuk, terwijl de blaasjes 

 allengs geheel verdwenen." 



As we observe, the accompanying gentlemen ascribed the itch to the seawater, whilst 

 TEYSMANN himself imputed it to the jïeas of the maleo-bïrds. Nobody saw the real cause — 

 the earth-mite or harvest-mite. 



L. M. D'AlberïIS, New Guinea: What I did and what I saw, in two volumes; 

 London, 1880. 



This able explorer tells us, vol I, p. 272, (April 4, 1875), being on shore in British 

 New Guinea, opposite Yule Island : 



„For some nights we hâve not been able to sleep, owing to mosquitoes and sand- 

 flies. Thèse small and almost microscopic insects are terrible enemies, and put us to real 

 torture. My people, to défend themselves against their attacks, sleep in an open place, sur- 

 rounded by great smoky fires." 



Vol. I, p. 282, (April 13, 1875): 



„They (the Papuas) usually sleep in hammocks, which they make very well, and under 

 which fires are alight ail night, to keep off the cold and damp, and those pests, the mus- 

 quitoes and sand-flies." 



Vol. I, p. 283, (April 14, 1875): 



„I did not leave the house to-day, being kept at home by a sore foot." 



Vol. I, p. 404; about Yule-Island and Hall-Sound in British New Guinea: 



„ Small insects, such as gnats and sand-flies, are much too abundant, and are a con- 

 tinuai forment. There are day-gnats and night-gnats, of ail colours and of ail sizes. The sand- 

 flies are our next greatest enemies, and they penetrate through everything. Fortunately, 

 however, they only make an appearance during the first days of a new moon." 



It is possible that D'ALBERTIS saw the mites; he describes them as v almost microscopical 

 insects", and calls them „sand-flies." Most probably he means „sand-fleas." With ,my people" 

 on p. 272 he means people of the Bismarck Archipelago and of the New Hébrides, conse- 

 quently aborigines. Thus Papuas too are attacked vehemently. Most probably the „sore foot" 

 of D"ALBERTIS was the resuit of the attacks of our mites. 



Curious is the fact that the English gentlemen which courteously informed Mr. VAN DER 

 SANDE whether the mites occurred in British New Guinea or not, apparently did not know 

 what D'ALBERTIS had written. (Vide infra, p. 158). 



