[Illustration: THE ARMADILLO]
The scorpions, centipedes, wasps, sand flies, fleas and mosquitoes
manage to make things lively for us much of the time.
One enterprising and annoying insect, the chigoe, or "jigger," is able
to bore a hole through the sole of a shoe and attack the foot.
There are no poisonous serpents or dangerous wild animals in the
country; so we travel about through field and forest without fear.
The boa, which is occasionally seen, is huge and alarming in
appearance; but it is looked upon as a friend rather than an enemy. It
is of great service to the farmer in clearing his place of rats.
The largest native animals we find to be the armadillo, the agouti, and
the iguana.
The agouti is a little animal resembling a rabbit. It lives on vegetable
food, and finds a home in the rocky hillsides and on the borders of the
woods. As game is not plentiful, it is sometimes used for food.
The armadillo and iguana are preferred for food, however. It is not an
easy matter to catch an armadillo. It has a shell on its back, and into
this it promptly retreats at the first sign of danger. It has a long,
pointed snout and strong, sharp claws. It can dig a hole in the ground
almost as fast as a man can dig with a pick and spade; so, when an enemy
appears, it digs a hole and buries itself from sight. It is not a
troublesome animal. It lives chiefly upon beetles, grubs and worms,
which it hunts by night.
The iguana is a lizard which feeds on fruits and vegetables. It grows to
three or four feet in length, and is an ugly looking creature. It will
not fight unless you compel it to do so. It does not live in the water,
but in trees, bushes, and in the cracks and fissures of rocks. Sometimes
hunters build fires at the entrance of their hiding places and smoke
them out. The flesh, when cooked, resembles chicken or veal, and is a
popular dish with the natives.
But the most delicious meat of all comes from the land crabs and the
crayfish. These are caught in great numbers when the crabs migrate from
the mountains to the coast. Once a year they make this journey, for the
purpose of depositing their eggs in the sand.
The sea fisheries are important to the people of Puerto Rico. The coast
waters and fresh water streams swarm with fishes of strange shapes and
gaudy colors.
Among these are the shad, sardines, Spanish mackerel, dolphins, flying
fish, sting rays and sharks. The sponge, the manatee and the whale are
also found near the island.
Suppose some one were to ask you to what kingdom the sponge belonged.
Could you tell? Many years ago people believed that it belonged to the
vegetable kingdom; but it is now known to belong to the animal kingdom.
The animals attach themselves to rocks, shells and other hard substances
below water.
Mussels, clams and sponges are cultivated to some extent. Mollusks are
useful in many other ways than as food. Their shells are used for making
buttons, parasol handles and shirt studs. Sometimes they are used for
making roads. Many shiploads of these shells are brought to New York
from Puerto Rico and other parts of the West Indies every year.
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