216 SUNSHINE AND SPORT IN 



very palatable substitute in the turtle-tablets sold 

 in Kingston by Messrs Sherlock and Levien and 

 other makers. These are made up in boxes of a 

 dozen, costing as many shillings, and very excellent 

 they were voted on my return. 



Another invertebrate luxury of the connoisseur 

 in Jamaica is the black crab (Gecarcinus ruricola], 

 no dweller in the sea, like so many of his family, 

 but a land-crab that lives in the hills. When in 

 season, as it was at the time of my visit, it is 

 delicious ; as served at the Jamaica Club, it is not 

 to be praised with ordinary words. It may be that 

 the new American spelling may give us some 

 adequate tribute to its delights. I believe that a 

 black crab, a calipeva and a ringtail pigeon are to 

 the epicure of Kingston what the diamond-back 

 terrapin, canvas-back duck and glass of iced water 

 are to the gourmet of New York, but the second 

 and third of these were not to be had during my 

 too short stay. Roast parrot is another luxury of 

 the island that I did not taste. This perhaps was 

 as well, as they say that to suck the bones brings 

 madness, and not to suck the bones of a bird said 

 to taste exactly like a partridge would be beyond 

 my powers of repression. 



Of spiders and insects I had little or no ex- 

 perience, always excepting the mosquitoes. Of 

 these I had some. One immense spider I saw in a 

 crumbling wall at Montego Bay, a tarantula of 

 some kind, but failed to secure it in one of those 

 not very whole-hearted chases of mine when such 

 grim treasures are the quarry. The most con- 

 spicuous insects were those of the darkness, which 

 their little lamps made denser by contrast. There 



