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forced, in order to avoid being suffocated by the 

 heat, to come out from beneath your toldo, and 

 walk about in the open air. A feeble wind, 

 smoke, and powerful smells, scarcely afford any 

 relief in places, where the insects are very nu- 

 merous, and very voracious. It is erroneously 

 affirmed, that these little animals fly from the 

 peculiar smell emitted by the crocodile. We 

 were horribly stung at Bataillez, in the road 

 from Carthagena to Honda, while we were dis- 

 secting a crocodilo eleven feet long, the smell 

 of which infested all the surrounding atmo- 

 sphere. The Indians much commend the fumes 

 of burnt cowdung. When the wind is very 

 strong, and accompanied by rain, the moschet- 

 toes disappear for some time ; they sting most 

 cruelly at the approach of a storm, particularly 

 when the electric explosions are not followed by 

 heavy showers. 



Any thing waving about the head and the 

 hands contributes to chase away the insects. 

 " The more you stir yourself, the less you will 

 be stung," say the missionaries. The zancudo 

 makes a buzzing before it settles ; but, when it 

 has assumed confidence, when it has once begun 

 to fix it's sucker, and swell with sucking, you 

 may touch it's wings without it's being frighten- 

 ed. It remains the whole time with it's two 

 hind legs raised in the air ; and, if it be left to 

 suck to satiety undisturbed, no swelling takes 



