One had a delicious odor. I
tasted a little, and thought it ideal for flavoring candy. But it soon
dissolved in my mouth in a fine dust, absorbing all the moisture, so
that I had to blow it out like flour. Nothing ever made me so thirsty in
my life, and even after rinsing out my mouth I felt for a long time as
if I were chewing punk or cotton. The fruit of the tamarind only added
to my torments by setting all my teeth on edge. When we reached the next
spring I fell off my horse for fear he would get all the water. Only
after I had satisfied my thirst would I let him drink."

The poverty of the fauna and flora is remarkable, there being scarcely
any wild animals, birds or flowers.

There is a great deficiency of what may be called _native_ animals of
any sort.

The most troublesome quadruped is the wild dog, which chiefly attack
pigs and other small domestic animals. Mice are probably the greatest
pest of the island, but they are considerably kept down by their natural
enemies, the snakes. The latter not infrequently reach a length of from
six to nine feet. There are a good many mosquitoes, but they are no
worse than they are in New Jersey. Numerous species of ants and bees
exist as well as fireflies. The latter occasionally fly in great masses,
producing beautiful effects in the tropical nights.

It may be stated that, on the whole, Porto Rico is singularly free from
those noxious reptiles and insects which seem to inherit the rest of the
West Indies as their peculiar possession.

Immense pastures occupy a part of the lowland, and feed large herds of
cattle of an excellent quality. St. Thomas and the French islands all
obtain their butcher's meat from Porto Rico. Even Barbadoes comes there
for cattle. Sheep always thrive in a hot country, and they grow big and
fat in Porto Rico. Fresh lamb and mutton are constantly shipped from
there. A very numerous class of the people are shepherds, and these live
upon mutton and the kind of highland rice, already alluded to, which is
very easily prepared for food.

Poultry is most abundant, and the seas and rivers are full of the finest
fish.

Agriculture has hitherto been almost exclusively in the hands of the
natives, but most of the business and commerce have been controlled by
foreigners and Spaniards from the Peninsula.

Although the island is certainly well developed agriculturally, it
certainly admits of considerable expansion in this direction. Under a
different pol