OF THE MOST REMARKABLE REPTILES AND INSECTS OF THE ISLAND, THEIR
VENOMOUS AND OTHER QUALITIES, WITH REMARKS.
The principal and most remarkable of the reptiles and insects in
Dominica are, snakes, lizards, wood-slaves, guanas, frogs, grugru
worms, borer worms, centipédes, scorpions, spiders, sawyer flies,
blacksmith flies, loggerhead flies, Spaniard flies, freemason
flies, the wood-horse, and vegetable flies.
Some of the snakes are small, and others very large and thick. Of
the last sort is that called by the French, “Tête du chien,” or
Dog’s-head snake, from its head, which much resembles that of a
dog. Some have been caught in this island that measured upwards
of twelve feet in length, and as thick as a man’s leg. They have
long, sharp teeth; their skins are scaled and beautifully spotted,
and they have at the end of their tails a blunt-pointed, horny
substance, which enables them to climb the trees.
The bite of these shakes is not venomous, nor is that of any
kind of them in this island; but the tête du chien does much
mischief among the birds in the woods; and on the plantations they
frequently devour the fowls and other poultry. They will swallow a
full-grown fowl with its feathers; and several of them have been
killed there with both a large fowl and an Indian coney entire in
their bowels.
A remarkable circumstance, which happened in this island some time
ago, deserves to be noticed in this place. A negro retiring from
work one day at noon, instead of going home to get his dinner, fell
asleep under a shady tree; and being missing at the time the other
negroes assembled together to finish their daily task, it caused
a suspicion that some accident had befallen him; they accordingly
went in search of him, and found him asleep, with one of his
legs, up to the thick part of his thigh, in the jaws of a large
snake. Awakened by their noise, he was in the greatest terror, and
struggling to get disengaged, was severely bit by the animal; to
prevent this as much as possible, wedges were placed between its
jaws, whilst they cut it to pieces; by which means only he could be
released. This operation took up some time, which together with the
length of time, his leg and thigh had already been in the belly and
jaws of the snake, reduced them almost to a state of digestion; and
it was not till a considerable while after, that he recovered the
intire use of them.
The fat of these snakes is esteemed an excellent remedy for the
rheumatism, or for sprains, by rubbing it mixed with strong rum.
Their flesh is eaten by many, particularly by the French, some of
whom are very fond of it; but it is reckoned unwholesome, and to
occasion the leprosy.
The skins of the tête du chien snakes are excellent for covering
sword-sheaths, or other instrument cases, for which purpose they
are in general used; but some surgeons make use of them in medicine.
Lizards are very numerous in this island, and are of several kinds;
some of a green, others of a yellow, and some beautifully spotted
with both colours. They are very harmless, feed on flies, worms,
and other small insects, which render them very serviceable on
the plantations. The ground lizard, one of the largest of that
species, and of a black colour, has lately been discovered to be an
excellent remedy for the leprosy, when made into broth.
The wood-slave is a species of the lizard kind, but of a more
hideous figure, and is reckoned to be venomous. Its head is shaped
like a dog’s, its body is scaled and spotted like a toad’s, it has
four legs, which are claw-footed, and on each toe a sharp, crooked
nail, like a bird’s; it lashes with its tail, which drops from
its body on the slightest touch; and its whole appearance is very
disgusting.
They are commonly not more than three or four inches in length,
but some are rather larger. Some say, that they fix their nails
so fast in the flesh of those on whom they chance to fall, as not
to be removed without cutting them out: others recommend throwing
dry sand on the part, which disengages their nails, when they are
easily shaken off. However, I never knew any injury happen from the
wood-slave; I have had them drop on my cloaths from the cielings of
rooms, where they are usually to be seen in the evening, in search
of food. They are great enemies to spiders and cock-roaches, and
they make a noise which somewhat resembles the cackling of a hen.
The guana is shaped like a crocodile, its head, body, feet, and
tail, resembling those of that animal. It is of a green colour, but
can change it at pleasure to a light ash colour, as it always does
when alarmed. It has gills like a cock, but of a pale colour, and a
horny substance, like the comb of that bird, reaching from its nose
to the neck. It has strong sharp teeth, shaped like a lancet, with
which it bites severely; its tail is also armed with strong, blunt
points, with which it wounds the legs of those who take it, if they
are not careful, as it lashes strongly with its tail, which is very
supple, and nearly twice as long as the other part of its body.
This animal is commonly between two and three feet long, from the
tip of the nose to the end of the tail; and when of that length,
about four or five inches thick, especially the females, about the
belly, when breeding; at which time they are full of eggs.
The flesh of the guana is excellent eating, and is cooked in the
same manner as turtle, to which it is by many preferred; their
eggs are also reckoned a great dainty. They are caught by a very
curious method: by whistling, which lulls them asleep, when with a
strong vine, or string, fastened at the end of a long stick in a
slip knot, which is pulled gently over its head, and when a sudden
jirk is given with the stick the animal is secured. They are very
harmless, shy, and difficult to come near; and a person bit by
them, or wounded with their tails, is under no apprehensions of
danger from either.
The frogs, called by the French “Crapaux,” are very numerous
in Dominica, and are an article of food to both the French and
English, many of whom prefer the crapaux to chickens. They make
fricassees, and soup of them, and the latter is recommended to sick
people, especially in consumptive cases.
The method of catching the crapaux is somewhat singular, it being
done by means of lighted torches in the night-time, when they
are out in search of food. This method is also used to catch the
land-crabs, which, as well as the frogs, from some deficiency in
their eye-sight, are unable to resist the light of a burning flame;
or it so fascinates them, that they have not the power to stir from
the spot; but stupified by its rays, they become an easy prey.
The grugru-worm is a species of the grub-worm, but is much larger
than the common sort, and breeds in the trunks of decayed cabbage
and cocoa-nut trees. These worms are eat by many people, who esteem
them a great dainty, and eat them roasted, with a strong sauce made
of lime-juice, salt, and Guinea pepper. They are like marrow, when
cooked; but their head gives them an appearance not very inviting,
the first time they are eaten; yet that disgust is soon overcome,
by their exceeding rich flavour, which those who are fond of them
say, exceeds any yet tasted.
The borer-worm is also a species of the grub-worm, and is a most
destructive reptile, especially to the sugar-cane, to which its
ravages are principally confined. This worm is commonly about an
inch in length, and of the thickness of a large caterpillar; it
is produced from the egg of a kind of butterfly, or moth, and was
first discovered in this island about ten years ago.
Its mouth has two strong, sharp teeth, in shape like a hog’s tusks,
with which it bites severely, and with such smartness, that putting
the blade of a knife between them, it will champ the blade, so as
to be distinctly heard, and will keep it so fast, as to make it
difficult to take it away. With its teeth it penetrates the buds
on the joints of the cane, working its way into the inside, where
it devours the whole substance, rendering the joint like a tube:
after which, it works into another joint, which it consumes in like
manner; and continuing its progress, at length destroys the whole
cane.
The devastation which these worms make in a field of canes in a
short time is astonishing; and although several methods have been
tried to destroy them, yet none have been successful. If care was
taken when the canes were young, on the first appearance of the
borer among them, to rub their stems and leaves with a preparation
of lime-water, or salt brine, mixed with soot and mashed pods of
Guinea pepper, perhaps they might be destroyed; as by sprinkling
some of this mixture on those worms it will instantly kill them.
Ants are great enemies to the borer when they can get at them, but
they are much prevented by its excrement, which being like filings
of wood, and of a gluey consistence, usually fills up and secures
their holes from the entrance of the ants. Yet having myself
removed that impediment, by clearing away the dung, and putting a
few ants to the hole, on going to the place some time after, I have
seen them collected in great numbers, all busily employed carrying
away in their mouths pieces of the borer, whom they had ferretted
out of its hole and killed.
Centipedes, called by the English “Forty legs,” and scorpions,
are numerous in this island, especially in the woods, and in
old houses. Of the former are often seen some that will measure
eight or nine inches in length, and thick in proportion; but the
generality of them do not exceed three inches long. They are very
harmless, except when meddled with; neither then is their bite, or
the sting of the scorpion of this country, so dangerous, as in many
other West India islands.
They are caught and put into strong rum; and if the part bit or
stung be rubbed with it, the pain is soon allayed, though the sting
of the scorpion is at first exquisite, and hardly to be endured
with temper.
Spiders are also here in great plenty, and of various kinds, some
of them being much larger than any in England, their bodies are
covered with a fine down like hair, and their mouths are armed with
strong, sharp teeth, or forceps, with which they wound severely,
but their bite is not venomous. Others are very small, and
beautifully spotted with a variety of the most lively colours; and
some have eyes in different parts of their bodies, but they are all
harmless.
The sawyer fly, so called from its faculty of sawing asunder the
branches of trees, whose substance is its food, is about three
inches in length when full grown, and is a very singular insect.
Its head has somewhat the appearance of that of an elephant, it
having a horny bill, like the proboscis of that animal, bending
upwards from the under part, with another, pointing downwards from
the upper part of its head, both of a jet black, and of a fine
polish. On the inner surface of the upper bill are raised points,
like the teeth of a saw, which are used by the insect in the same
manner. Its body is like that of a beetle, but considerably larger,
with double wings, the inner of which is like coarse gauze; and its
legs are armed at each joint with crooked, sharp nails, with the
same on each toe, like a bird.
The process of this insect in sawing down branches of trees is
really admirable, but it is hardly possible to form an idea of the
manner of doing it without a description. This work it performs
by encircling the branch with its bills, the points of which it
fastens well into the wood, and turning round it briskly by the
strength of its wings, which make a loud buzzing noise, it in
a short time saws the branch asunder. They are by many called
elephant flies, from the great resemblance of their heads to that
animal; they are perfectly harmless, and are caught only to be kept
as curiosities.
The blacksmith fly, is so called from its making a noise resembling
in sound the striking on iron. In the centre of its back is a
projecting horny point, and a crevice of the same nature on the
hind part of the head, near the shoulders, which being struck
together by a jerk of the head and body, make a tinkling noise,
that may be heard at a considerable distance; and so elastic is
the membrane which joins the head and body together, that, if the
insect is laid on its back, it will spring to a tolerable height
upwards, and fall directly on its legs. It differs very little from
the beetle in shape or size, excepting in its elastic powers, and
making so singular a noise.
The fire fly is a wonderful insect, for it has a luminous quality
in its head (above the eyes) under each wing, and in its tail;
which, when the insect is flying, has the appearance of so many
lights of candles moving in the air: or, the lights of a coach or
post-chaise in a dark night, travelling towards you at a brisk rate.
Some of these flies are as big as the top-joint of a man’s thumb,
others are much smaller; and the latter have that luminous quality
only in their tails. They have a charming effect on the eye at
night in the groves of the woods, where they are seen flying in all
directions, like so many thousand sparkles of fire; forming one
of the grandest spectacles of the kind that can be conceived, in
Dominica’s woods “that nightly shine with insect lamps.”
The larger sort are often caught for the novelty of the light they
give; if two or three of them are put into a glass, placed in a
dark room, you may see distinctly any object there; or by holding a
book close to the glass in which they are, you may see plainly to
read the smallest print.
There is another quality remarkable in the fire flies, which is,
that several of them being killed and mashed together will produce
the same effect, and be as visible in letters marked out on the
walls of a dark room, as if done with artificial phosphorus; and
this for a considerable time after the flies are dead.
The loggerhead fly is a species of the moth, from which it differs
only in the uncommon largeness of its head, and a singular quality
of transparency in its body; which latter is very remarkable, for
placing this fly near to the light of a candle, you may plainly
distinguish every part of its vitals, and distinctly count every
movement of them.
The Spaniard fly and free-mason fly are both of the wasp kind,
but they differ from each other in size, shape, and also in the
substance and curious manner of making their nests. The first is of
the shape of a small bee, and builds its nest of a waxy matter, in
the form of a small flat button full of holes, which it suspends
by a silky ligament to the cielings of houses, or to the boughs of
trees, where it has the benefit of the wind to vibrate to and fro.
The free-mason fly is exactly of the shape, size, and colour of a
wasp, and builds its nest of mud, in the shape of organ barrels. It
is curious to see these little creatures at work, they shew so much
art and industry, some of them fetching the mud in their mouths,
while others are forming their small cones, or filling them up when
finished with numbers of various-coloured small spiders, which they
also bring in their mouths, for food to their young when hatched.
That which is further remarkable of these flies is, that it appears
they qualify the spiders, by some means, for remaining a long time
in as perfect a state as the first day they were immured in their
cells; I have seen spiders, so immured for several weeks, as whole
and perfect in size, shape, and colour, as when alive.
There is another species of these flies, called galley wasps,
which is double the size and of a bright light-blue colour. These
have very long stings, which are plainly to be seen when they are
flying, with which they wound very severely, causing the blood to
spout out, as from the prick of a lancet.
The sting of these flies is very painful, and persons have been
thrown into fevers by being stung severely by them; but they are
seldom offensive, unless disturbed.
The wood-horse, called by the negroes the fairy-horse, is a very
singular insect. Its head is like that of a grasshopper, it
has two horns, considerably longer than its own body, which is
about three inches, and of one continued thickness, like a large
caterpillar. It has six legs, which are raised and doubled above
its body, like the springing legs of a grasshopper, but they have
not the same power, serving it only to walk with, which it does
very fast. It has no wings, is of a deep green colour, and is
perfectly harmless.
The vegetable fly is a remarkable insect. It is of the appearance
and size of a small cockchafer, and buries itself in the ground,
where it dies, and from its body springs up a small plant, which
resembles a coffee-tree plant, only its leaves are much smaller.
The plant which springs from this insect is often overlooked,
from the supposition people have of its being no other than a
coffee plant; but on examining it properly, the difference is
easily distinguished, from the head, body, and feet of the insect
appearing at the root, as perfect as when alive.
In the woods of Dominica are vast swarms of bees, which hive in the
trees, and produce great quantities of wax and honey; both of which
are equal in goodness to any of those articles to be had in Europe.
The musquitoes and sand flies are not so numerous, or so
troublesome in this country, as they are in most parts of the West
Indies, owing to there being but few spots of stagnated water,
which breeds them.
The musquito is a species of the gnat kind, but rather smaller than
the common gnat in England. The sand fly is not much larger than
the head of a large pin, but is a very tormenting little insect in
some islands, particularly to persons newly arrived from Europe.
Ants are very numerous in Dominica, and are of several sorts; as
the large black ant, the brown ant, the red ant, the flying ant,
and the wood ant. The latter is the most troublesome, as they are
very destructive to trees, and the timber in houses; which they
will reduce to dust in a short time, if suffered to take up their
abode therein. The best method to prevent this is, to rub the
timber with tar or turpentine, which hinders their attacking it,
or, if already there, to sprinkle arsenic in their nests, which
kills them.
The other sorts of ants are injurious only to particular articles,
as new sown seed, the buds and fruit of trees, especially in dry
seasons, when sometimes they cover the ground in such numbers, as
is truly astonishing.