A true & exact history of the island of BarbadosLigon, Richard
History
A true & exact history of the island of Barbados
Ligon, Richard
Barbados -- Description and travel; Plants -- Barbados; Sugar -- Manufacture and refining -- Barbados
Having done with Beasts and Birds, we will enquire what other lesser
Animalls or Insects there are upon the Iland, of which, Snakes are
the chiefe, because the largest; and I have seen some of those a yard
and a halfe long. The only harme they do, is to our Pigeon houses,
and milk panns; so that if we leave any hole in the bottom of the
house, where they can come in, they will get to the nests, and devour
the young Pigeons, if they be not over big. And yet ’tis strange
to see, what great morsells they will swallow; slide they will up
against a wall, if it be but perpendicular; but if it be declining
outward, they cannot get up, but will fall back ten foot high, if
they be hindred by any stooping of the wall; for which reason we
make jetties, neer the top of such roomes, as we will keep them out
of; they have climbed six foot high upon the outside of a wall, come
in at a window, down on the inside, skim our milk pannes, and away
again: Till we took one of them there, we knew not by what means our
pannes were thus skim’d. They never sting any body, nor is there
any venomous beast in the Iland. The next to these are Scorpions, of
which, some of them are as big as Ratts, smooth, and coloured like
a Snake, somewhat blewer, their bellies inclining to yellow, very
nimble and quick to avoid their pursuers: yet, the Snakes will now
and then take them, between whom there is a great conflict, before
the quarrell be decided; for, the Scorpions that are large, are
very strong, and will maintain the fight sometimes halfe an houre;
I have seen them wrastle together a good part of that time: But in
conclusion, the Snakes get the better, and devour the other. These
Scorpions were never known to hurt man or beast. Toads or Frogs we
have none.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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