Page:Blackwood's Magazine volume 144.djvu/91

1888.] his gentle tread does not disturb you, and lighting on the ring on your finger, or the cuff of your shirt-sleeve, will thence put down his sharp proboscis into your skin and feast unobserved. At night he feels free to wander fearlessly where he will; if the air is still, his incessant "ping" at your ear is only less harassing than a dropping fire of bullets; and nowhere does he find richer or more tempting pasture than under the dark shade of the dinner-table, where he ranges undisturbed over the tender silk-stockinged feet of ladies and dandies.

But the evil need not be exaggerated. In most places, excepting uncleared jungles, the terrors of the mosquito are really trifling and are soon ignored. Mosquito-curtains at night and the punkah by day are protection enough, and a few years' residence renders you, as a rule, far less vulnerable than at first. Then the big lumps raised by the mosquito on your fresh young hands give place to tiny spots which cause no irritation.

There are places, however, such as Maubin on the Irawaddy, where the mosquito renders animal life almost intolerable. There the house of every European is like a meat-safe, with doors and windows of fine perforated zinc; ponies and even buffaloes are protected by gauze netting round their stalls; and dogs are literally bitten to death by mosquitoes.

More interesting, if hardly less harassing to mankind, are the countless armies of the ant, whose regiments are met daily route-marching through your garden; whose flying columns traverse every room of your house; whose siege-trains undermine your walls; and whose scouts are ever on the alert for plunder. Red and black, and white and brown, every corps has its special equipment, and its own field of duty. Resembling the Chinese more than any human race, they are always at work; and to the ignorant, every unit of each tribe is alike. The common object of labour is the search of food for the tribe, and to the majority no food seems to come amiss. They will even boldly attack living animals, especially, with cruel persistence, such as are wounded or helpless. Many a time have I rescued some poor half-dead worm or insect from one or two vicious ants who, with savage bites, were trying to stop his struggles for life, while they hurried him on towards the hostile camp.

In a well-ordered Indian house little is usually seen of ants; but no house is free from the intrusion of a hundred tribes, and in none are they ever far away. A crumb of bread dropped on the floor, or an insect killed, will not lie many minutes before it is approached by first one and then another ant, hailing like vultures from the far horizon, till it is surrounded by an eager crowd, who carry it off in triumph, no man knows whither. For this reason, it is impossible in most Indian houses to leave fruit or food of any kind on a table for any length of time, unless the legs of the table stand in saucers of water.

One of the greatest ant-pests is a small red ant common in Bengal, a vicious little thing which bites from pure mischief, and if not carefully guarded against, will pervade a house or ship in millions, and is then difficult to expel. One or two of these on your underclothes, or in your bed, will drive you to distraction till caught and killed; and in Calcutta I have known a canary done to death by them, because left a short time