Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02
CATCHING TARANrULAs.
How Negro Boys I'm the West Indiea
Lure Them with House Lizards.

CAISHING TARANTILAS.
How Negro Boys I'm the West Tndi~a
Lure Them with House Lfsards.
From the Philadelphia Times.
Coming dead with the gale the schoonep
Norman ran ashore and broke to pieces
near the Delaware breakwater. She IVES
just from Jamaica with a cargo Of logwooa.
and the sea was soon red Of the dye with
which she was loaded. The trip up had
been a frightful one. and for five days the
crew had stood at the pumps day and night.
until none Of them carried a shred Of CLOTH
ing with them when the men OF the Iifs-
saving station rescued and took them into
quarters. Wild waves and furious WINDS
had waterlogged the Norman. and she sim
ply drifted at the mercy OF the ocean, while
the crew were begging for life. No one IVES
lost, and the humane savers of lives on tire
shore did the best they could TO put onto
the almost exhausted sailors something 20
cover their nakedness. and .hea food How
gratefully il was all received
colored boy OF ten years Of age or so.
ed group He had about enough clothes on
to wad shotgun. as saw him, but seem
ed TO be the cheeriest of all the crew. He
spoke English nuently, and talked French
TO one OF the sufferers and Spanish to an
other with as much ease as ne converssi
an English with me. His manner was eelf-
Possessed. lar beyond one of his age, and
~ SO attracted attention that 1 asked hin
about his life. 1t is a romantic story, ana
one end OF IL turns upon a subject that 10
OF exceeding interest TO The people of this
country, who now and then see one Of the
insects to be talked about and which are a
R E OF inc medical history Of the world.
Ihe colored boy shall tell the story OF the
tarantuia, that venomous offspring of the
sun which sometimes fnas Its way TO tlis
country in punches of fruit Thought up from
,or' where all seasons are summer" Tie
LAD talked well In telling the story of his
career IN the West Indies. Here is a pieos
Catching the ground spider is fun" said
ne. ~ Is jumper. and when you are try
ing to take it two eyes and a quick lean are
necessary to get away from II n an As a
spider is not only big one but very ou!ox
ana quite cute. Ii will attack at any time
anu IN going about the country YOU must
keep an eye on the tarantula holes IN lie
ground, or one may sting you at any mo-
menI ana then. as a rule. good-by. I've
hunted them many a day. for they brins "a
cents apiece at the stores in st Thouas
and that is good bit to a boy who has 10
cast ABOUT mighty sharp TO make q dime in
are poor, are many and the white neopl,
rev. You see, mister, our chances in The
tropics are not Ike they are in this coun-
Try, where there is so much TO do and %
many ways to pick up pennies row anl
then at almost anything. Fifty cents for a
tarantula, dead or alive, seemed q heap q
getting bit was not thought Of enough IA
frighten US from the hunt after them.
we have no other dangerous insects 90
but there are lots OF them. You must IL
mighty careful in going about not TO ret
stung, for, very few people live Il they are
are caught is to use the poison Of the epjoes
ana sing or play music Just as soon as po.-
slole. The poison puts you % sleep almost
at once. and IL is mighty hard 70 get :
person awake afterward
There are about 10000 OF my race on 81.
Thomas of the 1900 who are on the island.
ana at least half the families keep q bottle
OF rum with tarantulas in IL IN their houses
AS soon as they are struck, II they can yet
where II Is quickly. they may live. The sore
take it inwardly. But you see, mister. tie
bite is apt to put them 70 sleep before thsr
can get at the poison In the rum bottle IKE
s %nat Is in their body. and then they are
Why do they bring 60 cents apieceYs
They are sent to England 70 be used fs~
medicine. That Is what a merchant IN ST.
Thomas told me. He said that II was hard
Ior him 70 get enough, for lots Of them were
fix them up. but that is what the man THAI
1 used to hunt them for told me-"
How do you catch them?"
grass growing all over the island ana when
We go hunting we pick some Of IL and take
IL along. When we get where the tarantula
q
piece OF this grass make a loop In the end
and slip IL over the head rf one OF hes
little harmless house lizards Of which there
are thousands. You find them everywhere.
even in the houses. They won't hurt any
body. and we pay no attention 10 them
WI hen one is caught, just take him 20 tie
hole. drop him in a little way and the biz
spider comes I'd quickly after him Jusf
pun him slowly away from The hole and TIE
tarantula comes along. You have the houss
lizard In one hand. a shinsle In the Other
You put your foot over the hole and throu
the shingle over the tarsntula, II You can
Each one Is worth 50 cents. dead or ALIVE.
IL You don't break his body You have "a
strike him just right every time 70 gst tAs
90 cents. Then you put MIN In a bottle vita
big neck and go looking Tor another hole
and there do just you did before"
Supposing that he strikes your
We'll, you must be mighty quick vhen
you hit him, and look sharp ali the dine
after he follows the lizard out Of the hols.
for he has his eye on you ~ well AZ on ~
lizard. III he gets onto you then thsrs u
trouble, and nothing can save you efcepk
that poisoned rum told you about and ocps
slant playing on some kind Of musical tn.
strument or singing some vell-l1nown sons.
But everything hae to be done with gre6f
quickness. There n no time to walt rv4
seen them die almost a. soon a. thU wat
bitten"