THE BEAUTY OF THE NIGHT 361 



often going down below the surface of standing 

 water. When these are abandoned' they make 

 the finest kind of breeding places for mosquitoes. 

 During the rainy season, from May to October, 

 they go out into the hammocks and pinelands, 

 often a long way from the sea, living then under 

 rocks or in hollows beneath the roots of trees. In 

 wet weather they become diurnal and swarm out 

 over the dry land even into buildings which are but 

 little elevated above ground. They climb up the 

 corners of rooms and get on beds and tables but 

 the statement made by settlers that they occa- 

 sionally play the piano may be considered a play- 

 ful exaggeration. They climb leaning or rough 

 barked trees to a considerable height and are very 

 destructive to cultivated plants, shredding out 

 their leaves with their claws and even tearing 

 down large banana stalks. In every case where 

 cultivated plants are mixed with wild ones they 

 make their assaults on the former. I am positive 

 they can tell a five-dollar exotic from one which 

 cost a half a dollar, for they always destroy the 

 more valuable one. 



Their appearance is half repulsive and there is 

 about them an air of impudence; they exemplify 



