
ANIMAL LIFE IN A CUBAN CAVE. 
these parasites were the principal ob- 
ject of my visit, and under other cir- 
cumstances | should have delighted 
in seeing so many of these interest- 
ing insects. In fact, there is a re- 
markable new form of bat louse, col- 
lected on another memorable cave ex- 
pedition in Porto Rico, named in my 
honor; an honor which it may be 
difficult for non-scientists to appreci- 
ate! I was most anxious to obtain a 
collection from the Cuban cave; but 
at the time I felt altogether too buggy. 
I at once began the climb upward, 
rather more than half suffocated by 
heat, stench and lice. 
Again I breathed pure air! After 
securing my snakes, and filling my 
cyanid bottles with the contents of 
my net and the scrapings from my 
clothes, we made for our horses and 
galloped to the river for a refreshing 
clean up and a swim. 
We had arranged with our native 
to return to the cave in the evening 
in order to witness the sight of the 
outflying bats, some of which I also 
wanted to secure for identification, 
and for the smaller, more tenacious 
species of parasites, not so easily dis- 
lodged; so the bath over, we pro- 
cured, in a country store, some chicken 
and rice in curry, the national dish. 
That, with good bread, fried bananas, 
good wine and excellent coffee fully 
satished our hunger. Afterward we 
lounged away the hottest part of the 
day in the dense shade of a mango 
tree with a real Havana, and just be- 
fore the sun went down were we with 
our guide at the cave. 
We found others waiting for those 
bats. From each hole in the walls 
of the antechamber reached out the 
head of a snake, with its tongue play- 
ing, ready for a meal. These snakes 
evidently subsisted exclusively on 
bats and led as ideal, lazy a life asa 
snake could wish, merely opening 
399 
their mouth at mealtime and closing 
it again over a bat; a veritable snake 
paradise at the entrance to inferno. 
A few single bats flew up from 
below, made a circuit in the ante- 
chamber and disappeared down again; 
probably scouts, sent to see whether 
the advance of the army would be 
safe. Presently a roar, as of a storm, 
was heard from the cave as the mil- 
lions of small animals loosened them- 
selves and made for their exit. For 
a full half hour we had a sight sel- 
dom witnessed. Ina dense black col- 
umn rose the multitudes of bats out 
of that hole. A single stroke with 
my butterfly net would bring 30 te 
50 whining, biting, fluttering fellows 
into my large collecting box and a 
sack brought along for the purpose. 
Both were soon filled and I contented 
myself with looking at the strange 
spectacle. Darkness had come and 
the guide kindled a brush fire, which 
illuminated the weird scene. The up- 
ward stream seemed never to cease; 
but as suddenly as it had begun it 
ended. A few stray bats, kept back 
probably by the unusual light, circled 
about and away, and the hole was 
empty darkness again, in which the 
snakes digested their late dinner in 
peace. 
To quiet the protest of Mr. Co- 
quina, whose propaganda against 
wanton killing I most heartily en- 
dorse, I report that the bats we col- 
lected were examined the same night 
and with the exception of a few, 
which had been bitten and killed by 
their comrades, were liberated to find 
their old or other quarters, none the 
worse for the experience, except that 
they did not get any supper that night 
and that they were relieved of some 
parasites now treasured in the col- 
lection of the United States National 
Museum. 
“Drink, and the world drinks with you.” 
“True; but you settle with the waiter 
alone.” —Life. 
