verdure oppresses; and we begin to understand that the true loveliness of
spring is only rightly appreciated when it succeeds the harsher aspects
of winter.

[Invasion of Ants: page33.jpg]

Europeans suffer much from the climate. The moisture is very
considerable, and renders the heat, which in the hot months rises to 99
degrees in the shade, and 122 degrees in the sun, more difficult to bear.
Fogs and mists are disagreeably common; and whole tracts of country are
often veiled by an impenetrable mist.

The Brazils suffer, too, from a plague of insects,--from mosquitoes,
ants, baraten, and sand-fleas; against the attacks of which the traveller
finds it difficult to defend himself. The ants often appear in trains of
immeasurable length, and pursue their march over every obstacle that
stands in the way. Madame Pfeiffer, during her residence at a friend's
house, beheld the advance of a swarm of this description. It was really
interesting to see what a regular line they formed; nothing could make
them deviate from the direction on which they had first determined.
Madame Geiger, her friend, told her she was awakened one night by a
terrible itching: she sprang out of bed immediately, and lo, a swarm of
ants were passing over it! There is no remedy for the infliction, except
to wait, with as much patience as one can muster, for the end of the
procession, which frequently lasts four to six hours. It is possible, to
some extent, to protect provisions against their attacks, by placing the
legs of the tables in basins filled with water. Clothes and linen are
enclosed in tightly-fitting tin canisters.

The worst plague of all, however, are the sand-fleas, which attach