TICKS 



195 



mains under water, and the excessively rapid desiccation 

 when the waters retire, all contribute to the barrenness 

 of these Ygapos. The higher and drier land is every- 

 where sandy, and tall coarse grasses line the borders of 

 the broad alleys which have been cut through the second- 

 growth woods. These places swarm with carapatos, ugly 

 ticks belonging to the genus Ixodes, which mount to the 

 tips of blades of grass, and attach themselves to the 

 clothes of passers by. They are a great annoyance. It 

 occupied me a full hour daily to pick them off my flesh 

 after my diurnal ramble. There are two species ; both 

 are much flattened in shape, have four pairs of legs, a 

 thick short proboscis and a horny integument. Their 

 habit is to attach themselves to the skin by plunging 

 their proboscides into it, and then suck the blood until 

 their flat bodies are distended into a globular form. The 

 whole proceeding, however, is very slow, and it takes 

 them several days to pump their fill. No pain or itching 

 is felt, but serious sores are caused if care is not taken 

 in removing them, as the proboscis is liable to break off 

 and remain in the wound. A little tobacco juice is 

 generally applied to make them loosen their hold. They 

 do not cling firmly to the skin by their legs, although 

 each of these has a pair of sharp and fine claws connected 

 with the tips of the member by means of a flexible pedicle. 

 When they mount to the summits of slender blades of 

 grass, or the tips of leaves, they hold on by their fore legs 

 only, the other three pairs being stretched out so as to 

 fasten on any animal which comes in their way. The 

 smaller of the two species is of a yellowish colour ; it is 

 much the most abundant, and sometimes falls upon one 

 by scores. When distended it is about the size of a No. 

 8 shot ; the larger kind, which fortunately comes only 

 singly to the work, swells to the size of a pea. 



In some parts of the interior the soil is composed of 

 very coarse sand and small angular fragments of quartz ; 

 in these places no trees grow. I visited, in company with 

 Padre Torquato, one of these treeless spaces or campos, 

 as they are called, situated five miles from the village. 

 The road thither led through a varied and beautiful 

 forest, containing many gigantic trees. I missed the 

 Assai, Miriti, Paxiuba, and other palms which are all 

 found only on rich moist soils, but the noble Bacaba was 

 not uncommon, and there was a great diversity of dwarf 



