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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Puerto Rico seems to us to be one big flower garden.
All kinds of fruit grow wild and most wild plants
blossom and bear fruit several times a year.
Cultivated fruits, flowers and vegetables are planted
several times a year in order that a fresh supply
may always be at hand. Flowers bloom every month
of the year, but are most plentiful in June. Ferns,
in some instances, grow to spreading trees, with graceful
drooping fronds. Many plants have colored leaves
which are as brilliant as the flowers themselves.
