Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-09
INSECT LIFE IN CUBA
NATIVES HANDLE SCORPIONS AND
TARANTULAs WITH IMMUNITY.
PrOcessfOns of Umbrella Ants-Dread
of the Centipede-Fireny Most Curl
GUS Insect In the Island.
From the New York Evening Post.

1t was a surprise to the writer to md IN
Cuba a great scarcity of insect life. or at
least a great scarcity of variety. AS an en-
thusiast in entomology. l had looked for
ward with pleasure to finding plenitude OF
the brightly colored insects so common to
other tropical countries. My disappolnt-
ment was great, for with the exception of
scorpions. centipedes, tarantulas. mosqui-
toes and ants, a very few butterflies and an
occasional freely. there are no insects on
the island. Even the housefy is rare, near
ly all of the scavenger work performed by
them in our own country being attended to
by ants and buzzards. The latter are in
Vulnerable. Nothing Is safe from the ants.
1t is necessary to place the legs of tables
on which food Is kept in vessels filled with
water, else the ants will in single night
devour everything. OF the many kinds of
ants, the most interesting is perhaps the
umbrella ant. 1 have seen a procession of
these little fellows 200 yards long, in which
each ant carried over his head bit of
leaf. They had the appearance of carrying
umbrellas to shade themselves from the
sun. hence their name.
believe that the American soldiers who
first came to Cuba had much more fear of
the stings of the so-called deadly insects
than of the bullets of the Spaniards. l
have laughed myself almost into Mysteries
over the tremendous excitement that has
been created In tent full of soldier boys
over the discovery of single frightened
little scorpion in blanket Nothing could
be more amusing than to see eight or ten
big strong men, armed with sticks, beating
and pounding away at a cot until it was
smashed in to kindlng. in an effort to kill
scorpion that had already sidled out I'M
der the tent. The scorpion, which is called
"alakran' by the Cubans. is little feared
by them. They have no hesitancy in dex-
terously picking up the "alakran'' by his
business end. To do this without getting
stung requires some skill and great quick
ness. l was stung several times before l
learned the trick. While the sting is very
painful. 1t is in no sense dangerous. Sue
ton of the wounded part with the mouth
removes the poison. and the swelling is
big humble bee. The native boys amuse
themselves with battles between two of
these fellows. They get the largest they
can find and put them in glass dish or
jar together. The fun Is fast and furious
while it lasts. The scorpion Is probably the
most common Of the poisonous insects in
Cuba. The old stone walls, of which there
are many. are full Of them. and on the
rocky hillsideS every stone has one more
under 1t.
The Cubans show the same lack Of fear
Of the tarantula as they do of the scorpion.
l have seen a Cuban boy pick up an ''arana
pelour, as the tarantula is called, in his
naked fingers with perfect nonchalance. 1t
Is really safer proceeding than would
seem. as the tarantula is a slow-moving i'll
sect. and If he Is caught by his fat thorax
his body and cannot be readily used.
saw party of American ladies' scared al
most into hysteria at the sight of big
tarantula with spread larger than a
mans hand walking across the floor of a
parlor Of Cuban house at which they
were calling. Their fright was not les
sened greatly when they saw the little son
Of the hostess take UP the big fellow in his
fingers and bear him forth to sacrifice The
ta1antula is not considered deadly by the
Cubans. a little suction and a good deal
of Cognac being the only remedy used for
the bite.
The one insect for which the Cubans have
wholesome respect Is the centipede. He
is called by them "cien pies'-hundred feet.
The centipedes grow to great size. the
writer having captured several specin ems
eight inches long. While 1 do not think
that the centipede Is deadly. yet 1 have
never been able to get over creepy feel
ing in handling them. and I never at
tempted to make a captive Of one unless
my hands were covered with thick buck
skin gloves. They are not much to be
feared. however, for they scuttle away
with the speed Of a railroad train at the
approach of human being, and specimens
eau only be gotten by turning over the
largest stones. and that in a hurry.
The freely Is possibly the most curious Of
the Cuban insects. He belongs to the fam
ily Of Swapping beetles Of which there
are so many varieties In the United States
On his thorax there are two spots about
the size of large pinhead. In the daytime
these appear only as yellow spots At
night they emit brilliant greentsh light,
so bright that it is possible to read a news
paper by its light. Several Of these con-
fined in bottle will serve to light room
They are worn as hair ornaments by the
senoritas, with peculiar and striking effect
l must not forget to speak Of mosquitoes,
" hich abound in Cuba at certain seasons.
During March, April. May and June 1t Is
impossible to sleep without mosquito bars
over the beds. But about the 1st of July
the mosquitoes disappear. no one knows
where, and they do not reappear until the
following March