As for clothing, it was a mixture of luxury and rough wear, of the best silk underwear, cellular shirts of a light blue, and yellow chamois-skin breeches, warranted to grow tougher with use.

Putties were discarded, as likely to give harbourage to "jiggers," which bore into the toes, in favour of soft leather high boots, tightly fastened at the knee; and the outfit included needles for the making of moccasins, or veld schoen, from the hides of the larger antelope.
"Why do you select all blue shirts, Mr.Hume ?" asked Venning.
"On account of the mosquitoes." "Consider the feeling of the gorillas," said Compton, dryly.
"Perhaps they would prefer green." "They may find us green enough for their taste, Compton; but I am not joking.

Mosquitoes have a preference for some colours and an aversion for others.

They dislike blue most of all, so you see I have a purpose in selecting blue--not only for the shirts, but for the mosquito curtains." "All these precautions for a wretched fly." "Exactly.

A mosquito's gimlet carries more terrors for the explorer than the elephant's trunk, and his hum is more dreaded than the roar of the lion.