The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1898-06-24
EMlemarraf-S Star
CUBA'S CURIOUS ANIMALS.
Some Of the Strange Creatures Like
" to be Encountered by Our
Soldier Boys.

actually begun aud our soldiers are al
ready on Cubtn soil, it will be inter
esting to have a general idea Of Tho
sort OF animal friends or foes they may
be expected To encounter on Their
march through the wild regions OF
the tropical island.
Cuban flies and mosquitoes there are
much like N own. But we have
nothing TO match the huge spider,
whose bite causes fever, nor the bellig-
erent ant known as yiyajuga. A
scorpion, though not SO dangerous as
the Eurogean variety, proves itself
unpleasant enough to the careless
traveller, and the cliigoc, or digger
deals swift r%etribution to m offender.
Its methods OF attack are %inconyeni-
ent. for it burrows under the toe nail.
and unless removed at once, builds its
nest there. In that case inflamma-
ton occurs, and the only relief is the
painful operation Of having the little
animal cut out.
Snakes are not numerous. but they
include some Of the freaks of the ami.
mai kingdom. The huge majl, longer
than two siy-foot men set end on end.
with Il body of twenty inches in cir
cumfercnce, looks fierce enough and
formidable enough to put a whole reg
iment to flight. 1t is all Il bluff, for
the big reptile is harmless.
Among the birds the soldier may
exercises his taste for pets. Those
peculiar to the island have beautiful
plumagc, rich in coloring. There are
nearly 200 kinds to be founl there, and
among them all the vulture and the
turkey buzzard are almost the only
birds of prey. They are SO useful as
scayengcrs to carry away waste ma
terial, that they are protected from
death by law. Geese turkeys, peac0cks.
and pigeons are the most familiar
domestic fowls, and pigs, sheep goats.
mules and horses the animal used.
The Cuban horses are almost a race
by themselves. They are very gentle.
they never kick nor bite,nor play any
unseemingly tficks on their riders.
In some parts Of the island horses re-
patyn nc ,ppcl, dom. ia, , ,
Der Of the family. They are not tied
or confined, but they wander about
the dooryard, put their heads into the
kitchen window to exchange the tir1e
of day, and even, on occasion, have
the privilege of entering the house.
The sight Of humans and equines on
terms Of such easy familiarity, makes
wonder if the days of CULVER and his
horse country have come again.
Sometimes the roads are very bad,
and the mud so STICKY that it holds
any foreign substance like glue. For
this reason farmers braid their horses
tails, turn them up over their backs.
and tie them to the saddle. No North
ern pony would stand this indignity,
but the Cuban pack animals seem
quite willing to endure it. In noun
famous regions mules are used to car
ry coffee and sugar down the noun
tain paths, and to save drivers mules
10 long procession are tied together,
ones head to another's tail, and with
only q mar at the head of the COL
umn to guide the leader, they carry
down their burdens safely. The hind
legs OF Cuban mules must be worked
different principle from that in
vogue among United States mules.
Here no insurance agency would in
sure a man whose business was tying
mules to n another's tails.
The only wild animal peculiar to
Cuba is the Julia or hutia. 1t is rat.
shaped, black and small. 1t lives in
the hollows OF trees, like our squirrel,
and eat leaves and fruit. It's flesh is
insipid, but it is often eaten. Curl
Gus notifications Of felines and can
ines inhabit the woods. The animals
have sprung from dogs and cats 10 the
domestic state, and differ from them
only in their size and habits. Some OF
the intelligence of civilization seems
to remain with them, and they cause
the farmer much anxiety by their
carefully planned raids upon his poul-
try and cattle.
The matter Of delights is a small
item of expense to the poor man in
Cuba, for in the phosphoresccnt fly
nature provides him a lamp free. This
fly, the %cucullo, about the size OF our
roach, is perfectly black, with a trans
breast. Two eyes In front.
and one in the point OF its breast give
out so much light when its wings are
spread that one can by it read a let
ter. Children make pets Of cucullos
and shut them up in reed cages. If
they feed them on sugar, the sticky
particles adhering to their legs exas-
them so much that they fall
upon each Others like prize fighters.
The children avoid this by giving the
flies sugar cane. They wash them
carefully morning and night, and in
this way keep their pets alive and
shining for many days.
Fashionable ladies wear the brilli-
ant flies in their hair, and sometimes
the bellies use them covered with a
gauzy material for living belts. One
Il IL ~ n 49,. r. ut.-1 .sa ~.