88 



which indicates the ancient suite of the country 

 where it took birth. Salutations were made 

 heretofore in the celestial empire in the following 

 words, vou-to-hou*, " Have you been incommod- 

 ed in the night by the serpents?" We shall 

 soon see, that on the banks of the Tuamini, in 

 the river Magdalena, and still more at Choco, 

 the country of gold and platina, the Chinese 

 compliment on the serpents might be added to 

 that of the moschettoes. 



This is the place in which to speak of the 

 geographical distribution of those insects of the 

 family of tipulae, which affords very remarkable 

 phenomena. It does not appear to depend sole- 

 ly on the heat of the climate, the excess of hu- 

 midity, or the thickness of forests, but on local 

 circumstances, that are difficult to characterize. 

 It may be first observed, that the plague of mos- 

 chettoes and zancudoes is not so general in the 

 torrid zones, as is commonly believed. On the 

 table-lands, elevated more than four hundred 

 toises above the level of the ocean, in the very 

 dry plains remote from the beds of great rivers, 

 for instance at Cumana and Calabozo, there are 

 not sensibly more gnats, than in the most popu- 

 lous parts of Europe. They are perceived to 

 augment enormously at Nueva Barcelona, and 

 more to the west, on the coast that extends to- 



* Deguignes, Did. Chinois, p. 26. 



