NORTH AMERICA. 
of feveral fpecies, and their numbers incredible* 
We travelled almoft from fun-rife to his fettine, 
amidft a flying hoifc of thefe perfecuting fpirits, who 
formed a vaft cloud around our caravan fo thick as 
to obfcure every diflant object ; but our van always 
bore the brunt of the conflict ; the head, heck, and 
moulders of the leading horfes were continually in 
a gore of blood : fome of thefe flies were near as 
large as humble bees ; this is the hippobofca. They 
are armed with a ftrong fharp beak or probofcis, 
fhaped like a lancet, and fheathed in flexible thin 
valves; with this beak they i'nftandy pierce the 
veins of the creatures, making a large orifice from 
whence the blood fprings in large drops, roiling 
down as tears, caufing a fierce pain or aching for a 
confiderable time after the wound is made. There 
are three or four fpecies of this genus of lefs fize 
but equally vexatious, as .they are vaftly more nu- 
merous, active and fanguineous ; particularly, one 
about half the fize of the firft mentioned, the next 
lefs, of a dufey colour with a green head ; another 
yet fomewhat lefs, of a fplendid green and the head 
of a gold colour ; the fling of this is intolerable, 
no lefs acute than a prick from a red-hot needle, or 
a fpark of fire on the fkm ; thefe are called the 
burning flies. Befides the preceding tormentors, 
there are three or four fpecies cf the afilus or fmaller 
biting flies ; one of a grayim dufky colour ; ano- 
ther much of the fame colour, having fpotted wings 
and a green head ; and another very final 1 and 
perfectly black : this laft fpecies lies in ambufh in 
ilrrubby thickets and Cane brakes near water : 
whenever we approach the cool fliades near creeks, 
impatient for repofe and relief, almofl finking un- 
der the perfections from the evil fpirits, who con- * 
tinualiy 
