Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-09

Some of the Thing. That Make Life
There DisagreeabIe.

From Ieslie's Weekly.
To northern men, campaigning in tropi-
cal country during the rainy season pre-
sents many discomforts and disadvantages:
but all of these, being recognized as IN
avoidable incidents to the climate, have
been accepted by our soldiers in Cuba and
Porto Rico in remarkably cheerful spirit
The tarantula of Porto Rico is the most
renomous and aggressive spider in the
world. 1t has brown, furry body as large
as. and sometimes larger than. fifty-cent
piece. supported by long, hairy legs. 1t
does not spin a web, but makes it's home
in holes which 1t excavates in the ground
and lines with its silk. 1t is the terror of
insects, wandering about after dark in
search of its prey, and bouncing upon and
devouring Its victims with surprising ac-
tivity.
Almost. if not quite, as dangerous as the
tarantula is the scorpion, whose sting Is
greatly feared. 1t resembles somewhat a
tiny lobster, and has a curved and sharp
singing apparatus through which 1t emits
the venom contained in its poison glands
1t lives in the ground and in dark places,
often invading dwellings. When disturbed
II runs Very fast, with its tail curied over
its back. Its bite Is painful, but there is
some doubt as to its ever proving fatal,
except, perhaps, to persons in low state
OF health 1 know of no instance Of a
SOluler DelnS bitten by scorpion,
Then there are swiftly moving centipedes
of various sizes They travel with snake
like movement and are very repulsive in
appearance. The ones 1 saw were about
four inches in length. but others twice as
long exist. They feed on insects and con-
ceal themselves in dark places. Their bite
is said to be very painful and possibly
dangerous.
The loathsome, dark-brown land crabs,
dinner plate size, such as the American
soldiers encountered in Cuba are as COM
mon in Porto Rico as hop-toads in the
United States Aside from the pinching pro-
pensity possessed by all crabs, they are
harmless. The natives consider them to be
good food. One morning at Ponce 1 met a
Native fairly loaded down with string of
Them which he had caught during the night,
which is the time they sally forth in search
OF food. These crabs live mostly on vege-
tables.
There are several kinds Of lizards on the
island. including small and large black ones
which would chase UP and down the tents
one day | saw one run up on the back of a
horse tied on the picket line. These are in
nocent; there Is, however, brilliant-hued
variety which occasionally observed and
which Is said to be dangerous; at least, the
natives warned us to keep out of Its way.
asserting that no cure is known for its bite
The mosquitoes of Porto Rico might feel
aggrieved II ! failed to make some mention
or them They are distinguished by bodies
as big as our house flies During the night
/ they would congregate In the little shelter
tents and amuse themselves by singing and
making onslaughts on the soldiers, drawing
blood every time. In the morning we would
see them at the top of the tent gorged
after the banquet In fact, these buzzards of
the insect tribe spilled more American blood
than did all the Spaniards in Porto Rico.
At first they were very annoying, but after
time we became mosquito immunes and
indifferent to them; or perhaps they ig-
nored US when the climate had reduced US
In weight all the way from twenty to fifty
pounds apiece. Mosquito netting was early
discarded by the men. the atmosphere be-
Ing too close for its use with any comfort.
The ants should not be forgotten in this
connection. The large black ones would in
Test our mess kits by the thousands, and
the little red fellows would get between
our fingers and bite with a viciousness out
OF all proportion to their size Then there
are the wasps. which one Of the men stirred
up one day while knocking down a green
cocoanut, and which swarmed over the
horses and caused them to stampede. An
other insect well to avoid is the bigger
fiea: which is fond of burrowing in a per-
sons flesh and laying its eggs under the
skin. recessitating surgical attention. The
soidfers were not troubled by them, how
ever. as they prefer to devote eheraselyes to
persons who go about in bare feet.