l 5 6 
RUBBER PLANTING ON THE 
us warmly. The tame macaw, the little green parroquette, Lora the 
parrot, and even Bola, the big yellow tomcat, vied with the dogs in an 
enthusiastic ovation. Things seemed to be about as we had left them, 
and except for the fact that my black shoes had gathered a fur of green 
mold, and one of them was occupied by an enormous spider, I was 
perfectly content. Speaking of spiders, there are many of them, but 
they are the least of the insect troubles. If left alone, they are harmless 
and not much in evidence, but the rodador , the pinoleo , the chaqiusta ! — 
they are looking for trouble. The rodador is like the black fly of the North 
American woods. It is in some places most abundant, and its bite raises 
an itching lump that lasts several days. After a little, however, one 
becomes inoculated with rodador virus, and the only result is a small 
black spot that scales off without any itching or burning. They trouble 
some newcomers exceedingly, but I found them only a slight discomfort, 
not important enough to take any special precaution to mitigate. 
Among the insects that are most easily domesticated, and that 
attach themselves with instant affection to the passing traveler, I should 
name the pinoleo , the conchudo , and the garrapata. They are all related, 
and are of the tick family. The pinoleo has a habit of associating with 
himself several millions of others, each one the size of a pin point, and 
hanging on a leaf or. twig over a trail where animals or men are accus- 
tomed to pass. When the branch is touched, they instantly catch on to 
whatever touches it, and proceed to distribute themselves over the body 
and seek for tender spots whereupon to feast. I had a most abundant 
and energetic collection of pinoleos on several occasions, but got rid 
of them without much trouble. 
The conchudo is simply a pinoleo that has not been blotted out early 
in life, and who grows into a fairly sizeable tick. He does not burrow 
into the flesh, but simply hangs on, and grows fat off the animal of his 
adoption. The garrapata is the pinoleo grown to maturity, and is a good 
large ablebodied tick that fastens himself upon his victim, and is very 
reluctant to let go. Another little pest that troubles some people is the 
chaquiste, a fly so minute that one can hardly see him, and that hides 
itself in the hair of the head, its bite being like the sting of an electric 
needle. 
There are, of course, mosquitoes, although personally I was troubled 
verv little by them during the whole of my trip, and ordinary fleas are to 
be found in the towns and cities from one end of the country to the other. 
The insect that I most dreaded, however, and which was described to 
me bv many of the old time residents, was the moydquil. This is a grub 
