CHAPTER LI.
Zoology: Orb-fish—Echinus, known to the ancients—Hippocampus—Trumpet-fish—Toad-fish—Sea-blubber, and galley-fish—Sea-polypus—Cat-fish—Crabs, oysters, &c.—Turtle—Land-crab—Soldier-crab—Lizards—Guana—Wood-slave—Scorpions—Centipede—Snakes—Tarantula—Cockroach—Caterpillars and butterflies—Ants—Bats—Aquatic birds—Land birds—Humming bird—Anecdote.
Among the curiosities found about the shores of Antigua, are, first, the orb-fish, sea-porcupine, or orbus-major, as it is severally called. This fish varies from seven inches, to two feet in length; it has no scales, but is armed with sharp spines, measuring from one to three inches in length, which it can erect at pleasure—the longest of these spines are placed behind the eyes, the shortest beneath the body. The mouth is shaped like a frog; the eyes are round and prominent, and behind them rises two strong, circular-shaped fins, which it uses with great agility when swimming. The anal and posterior fins are large and curved; and the tail strong and well adapted for making way through the waters. In the middle of the stomach is a bladder filled with air, by the aid of which it can inflate itself at pleasure, until it presents the figure of a complete sphere. The meat of the orbus is said to be excellent, with exception of the head, which is always thrown away; it is dressed in the same manner as turtle. When alive, it is a dangerous and formidable enemy in its native element, as it is not blessed with a very amiable temper. And when stuffed, it is an object of great curiosity, and well worthy of a place in a museum. The echinus, or sea-urchin, is another species of the class and order vermes, mollusca. It does not attain the size of the orbus major, being seldom found more than five inches in length, but it is covered with sharp prickles, and can equally inflate itself when angry. The flesh is eaten with oil, vinegar, and pepper; and in flavour resembles the lobster. This fish was known to the ancients, who esteemed it a royal fare, when dressed with mead, parsley, turmeric, and mint.
The trumpet-fish, or fistularia, is a genus of the order of abdominales. It measures about 18 inches in length. The snout is cylindrical, like a trumpet, from whence its name; the jaws are at some distance from the eyes, which are very bright, and the body tapering to the tail. Its principal food is small fish and marine worms.
The hippocampus, or sea-horse, is another surprising little animal, never exceeding in length nine inches, and about the thickness of the little finger. The formation of the head is very much like that of a horse—from whence its familiar name—the snout is a kind of tube, with a hole at the end, which it can open or shut at pleasure. The eyes are bright and jut from the head; behind them are two fins, of the shape and appearance of a horse’s ears, and above them two orifices for respiration, through which it can spout up the water in a similar manner to the whale. Down the back runs a line of short, stiff hairs, like the mane of a horse, which falls off when the animal is dead; and the whole body is composed of rings with intermediate prickles. It belongs to the cartilaginei order. The ancients considered it extremely venomous, even to the slightest touch, but like many other assertions, it is ill-founded, for I have handled many of them and received no hurt. Some of the hippocampus are of a dull chesnut colour, others of a dark grey; when swimming, they compress their tails, and raise themselves with an undulating motion, which gives them the appearance of a miniature horse cantering.
The toad-fish is another curious little denizen of the deep, of the same dusky hue as the toad—from whence its name. When gently rubbed with the finger, it inflates itself into the form of a ball; and if pressed while in this state, bursts with a sharp report. It is eaten by many of the negroes, who are not famed for the delicacy of their palates, although the flesh is very rank.
The sea-blubber and galley-fish are other varieties of the mollusca class. They float like a jelly upon the surface of the sea, near its margin; and are dangerous to fishermen, and those persons who are in the habit of going into shallow water without shoes, wounding the feet sorely. If trodden upon, they explode with a loud noise, like an inflated bladder. These sea-nettles, (so called from the stinging pain they occasion if touched,) like the rest of their tribe, feed upon minute shell-fish and sea-insects. They are viviparous.
The sea-polypus also inhabit these seas. These wondrous phenomena of nature belong to the genus hydra, class vermes, order zoophyte; the distinguishing character of which is, that if any part of the body be severed, it instantly becomes a perfect animal. For example, if a polypus be cut transversely into two or three pieces, each portion becomes a regular animal, and a new polypus will also be produced from the skin of the old one. If any of the young polypi be mutilated while growing upon the body of the parent, the parts cut off will immediately grow again; and even if the polypus be dispossessed of its extremities, it will produce young ones before it has attained head or tail. The sea-anemone is very beautiful when alive. It is of a most lovely purple, and throws out its numerous feelers like radii from the centre; these feelers it can contract or expand at pleasure. They feed, like the rest of their species, upon small marine worms, insects, and shell-fish, which they have the power of rendering motionless, (after being entrapped in their long fibrous arms,) by means of a gluey liquid which oozes out of their bodies.
The chætodon, or cat-fish, is another inhabitant of the Caribbean. It is one of the most voracious of its tribe, preying indiscriminately upon all who approach it, and who it is enabled, by stratagem or open warfare, to overcome. The body is oblong, the head small, and the teeth slender, but extremely sharp, and bending inwards. The fins of the back are scaly, and the gill-membrane six-rayed.
Among the shell-fish are lobsters, (some of which attain to an immense size,) several kinds of crabs,[[68]] oysters, (which generally adhere to the mangrove trees,) conchs, whelks, cockles, star-fish, sea-eggs, and smaller multivalves and bivalves. This part of the ocean is also very prolific in marine plants, (some of which, as “sea-feathers,” “sea-fans,” &c., are very beautiful,) and corals of several shapes and kinds; the latter substance is principally used for burning lime. The brain-stone is also frequently found, as well as many other curiosities, which are purchased from the negro divers and sent to England, as presents, but which I must pass over with this brief notice.
The testudo Mydas, or sea-turtle, frequent the bays of Antigua. The female is so very prolific, that she sometimes lays 1000 eggs, which are hatched by the sun, in about 25 days. The merits of this amphibious animal are too well known to descant upon. The shell[[69]] is very hard and strong, and it will carry as much as 700 or 800 lbs. upon its back. One was captured in these seas, a few years ago which measured six feet across the back, and the shell formed a good boat for a boy to sail about the harbour in. In Cuba, they attain a great size, and have been known to walk off with five or six men standing upon them. A full-grown turtle has often attained the weight of 500 lbs. There are none of this race of giants at Antigua; those caught upon her shores are of smaller dimensions, although of rich flavour.
The cancer ruricola, or land-crab, is another inhabitant of Antigua well worthy of note. They live in clefts of rocks, hollow trees, or deep holes which they dig for themselves in the earth, and are much esteemed by Creoles for the sweetness of their meat. Once in the year they march down from their mountain dwellings to the sea-shore in immense numbers, for the purpose of casting their spawn. Before starting upon these expeditions, the whole body meet in “conclave grave,” when leaders are chosen, the route agreed upon, and the whole company divided into three battalions. The strongest males most gallantly take the lead in order to face any foe, as well as to act as pioneers; they are followed a short time afterwards by a battalion of females, and the rear is brought up by a medley group of stragglers of all ages and sex. They travel by night, and, as far as possible, keep as straight a line to the sea-side as if they were going by rail-road, only that they neither cut through hills, nor fill up dingles, but march over every impediment with the greatest nonchalance. While upon their travels, they commonly march with their long nippers held aloft, and which now and then they clatter together, as if in defiance of any one they may meet; and if assaulted, they will grasp their assailants so firmly by them, that very frequently they leave such members behind them. They have something of the ogre about their disposition, for if one of their companions meet with an accident which prevents it travelling as fast as the rest, the others immediately fall upon and devour it, without any compunctive feelings.
As soon as they reach the sea-side, the females prepare to cast their spawn upon the surface of the sea, leaving it to chance to bring it to perfection. The females are very prolific; but it is supposed two-thirds of their eggs fall a prey to the numerous shoal of fish, which are apparently hovering about, waiting for their expected treat. After remaining for some time by the sea-side, they prepare to return to their mountain homes; but many of them are fatigued by their long journey, and dig holes about the adjacent parts of the country, where they remain until they again become strong and fat. It is during these annual peregrinations that the negroes employ themselves in crab-catching; which exploit they perform at night by aid of a torch, when the crabs come out of their holes to feed. Land-crabs cast their shells annually, and at such periods remain closely concealed in their holes, almost without motion and without food, for about the space of six or eight days, during which time the new shell hardens. They vary in size and colour, some being of a deep coal black, others of a light yellow, and some streaked in red and yellow. Their favourite resorts are the burial-grounds, upon which account many persons have a great antipathy to them as an article of food.
The soldier-crab is a curious little animal, totally unprovided by nature with any shell, so that in order to protect its delicate body from the attack of its enemies, it is obliged to look out for the vacated covering of some shell-fish in which to take up its abode. As the “soldier” increases in bulk, it changes its habitation, and sometimes, for want of a better dwelling, is fain to content itself with the cast-off claw of a lobster or a defunct crab. Although of small size, they are extremely quarrelsome, and their combats for a favourite shell are very terrific, and often end fatally to one of the party; upon which event, the conqueror immediately takes possession of the fought-for dwelling, and to put an end to the affair, makes his dinner off the body of his enemy.
Lizards abound in Antigua; from every fence, from every tree—from the copsewood thicket and the wavy cane-field—you may see their bright little eyes peeping at you. There are about eighty species of this tribe found in different parts of the world, included under the name lacertæ; those commonly found in Antigua are the agilis, or common tree lizard, the ground lizard, and the guana, or iguana. The common lizard is of a bright green colour, with the head and feet of an ashy hue; there are some, however, of a dirty olive brown, with the feet and tail approaching to black. Like the chameleon, they have the power of changing their colour; and when angry, they swell out the skin of the thorax into a kind of pouch, inflating and contracting it with a clock-like motion. Their tails, of the extreme length of their bodies, are verticillated, and armed with sharp scales; their snouts are long and pointed, and their jaws furnished with numerous small and sharp teeth. They feed upon insects and young buds, and are particularly quarrelsome among themselves, often losing the greater part of their tails in their combats. The lizard is very susceptible of melody, and will remain couched upon a tree for a long time together, listening to the soft strains of a flute or piano, or the sound of the human voice. They are also capable of being tamed, and will frequent the spot where they have once been fed with bread crumbs. The lizard is oviparous, and deposits its eggs (which are white, of the shape of a hen’s egg, and about the size of a small kidney bean) in holes in the ground near the roots of trees, or even in the ashes by the fire-hearth.
The ground-lizard is considerably larger than the tree-lizard. It is of a greenish brown hue, with a blood-red stripe running longitudinally down each side. The head, ending in a pointed snout, is also of the same colour, which gives the animal altogether a disgusting appearance. The mouth is armed with an infinite number of sharp, slender teeth, the bite from which is supposed to be very venomous on account of their often leaving such weapons in the wound they have inflicted. The negroes have a superstitious notion, that as soon as this reptile has bitten any one it immediately makes the best of its way to the sea-side, and as the only means of preventing any ill-consequences to itself, bathes in the water, and the wounded person receives the punishment in the shape of leprosy. If, on the contrary, the individual bitten can reach the sea and perform the ablution necessary, before the lizard has time to gain that spot, the reptile pays the penalty, falling a prey to the effects of its own venom. The tail of the ground-lizard is of extreme length, and trails along the ground, giving the creature, when walking, a kind of snake-like motion; when, however, it is attacked by a dog, or frightened by the sound of approaching footsteps, it throws this unwieldy member over its back, and starts away with the greatest activity. The ground-lizard lives in deep holes, which it burrows in the ground, (from whence its name;) its food is the young herbage, fruit, vegetables, or anything of the kind that falls in its way; it holds its prey firmly with its fore-feet, while it tears it to pieces with its teeth, and then swallows it with much apparent gusto, putting out its long slender red tongue, in the manner of a dog. I have often fed a ground-lizard with the fruit of the soursop, for the purpose of watching its movements; and if a piece of its favourite fare was delayed for a little longer than it deemed necessary, it would turn up its bright round eyes upon me, as if asking why I balked its appetite. Ground-lizards are also extremely choleric, and will fight with their own species for an hour together. The mode of warfare is to spring forwards, grapple each other with their fore-paws, throw their long tails around each other’s body, and in this situation roll over and over in the dust, until one of them acknowledges itself conquered by striving to retire.
The iguana, or guana, sometimes attains the length of from four or five feet, measuring from the point of the snout to the extremity of the tail; its usual size, however, is from three to four feet. It is of a deep emerald green, with the upper part of the head, the feet, tail, and legs, of a dull ash colour. Along the summit of the back and tail runs a deeply serrated membrane, almost like the fin of some fish; the head is surmounted by a kind of crown, or crest, from which circumstance it has obtained the name of “king of the lizards;” and underneath its jaws hangs a kind of comb, which it can inflate when angry or excited. Like all the lacerta tribe, its mouth is well furnished with teeth, with which, when exasperated, it inflicts deep wounds; but, in general, it is a quiet and inoffensive animal, feeding in its wild state upon leaves of trees, vegetables, insects, or, when it can procure them, young birds. It climbs with agility, and will spring from one branch of a tree to the other, like a squirrel. The flesh is said to be excellent, rivalling in delicacy that of a chicken. It is eaten in the French islands as a great luxury; but from its outward appearance, few strangers would be led to partake of it, unless deceived by its form of cookery.[[70]]
The wood-slave is about the same size as the common tree-lizard, but with a shorter tail. The bite is said to be
extremely venomous, as also the wound inflicted by its sharp claw, which ends in a kind of nipper, and with which it adheres to the part with such tenacity, that no power but that of a knife will extricate it. In colour it approaches a toad; its haunts are amid old timber or old dwellings, from whence it attains its name of wood-slave.
Scorpions are another formidable foe. They are well equipped for battle, having eight legs, besides two shorter ones fixed on the fore-part of the head, and answering for hands, with which they hold their prey; eight eyes, three upon each side of the head, and two on the back; two feelers, and a long tail, terminated by a curved sting, underneath which are two instruments resembling a comb. The poison is contained in a small reservoir, and is evacuated through two oblong orifices at the top of the sting, at the moment of the wound being given. The effects are extremely painful, producing a burning heat, which, if not alleviated, produces fever. If encaged, and it can discover no means of escape, the scorpion stings itself to death, rather than remain in captivity. The body of the parent scorpion becomes the nest of the young ones, which remain sticking and feeding upon their mother until she dies, and all nurture is absorbed, when they fall off and shift for themselves; fifty of these terrific little creatures have been counted at one time adhering to the body of their dead parent.[[71]]
The scolopendra, or centipede, is another member of the aptera order, whose bite is equally dreaded with that of the scorpion. They sometimes attain the length of six inches, and are as thick as the finger of a man; the common size is, however, from two to three inches. They lurk in the dark holes and corners of houses, in the lumber-yards, in the stores, (or warehouses,) in stone-walls, rotten wood, or indeed, any place where they think themselves secure from molestation; and from whence they issue forth and attack whoever falls in their way. They feed upon insects; and their wars with the cockroaches are most terrible. Sometimes, however, they fall a victim to their stingless enemy, who in that case makes a hearty meal upon their remains. The scolopendra is furnished with numerous feet, from whence it derives its name of centipede—there being as many of these members (on each side) as there are joints in their body. The antennæ are covered with short hairs; they wound with two curved feelers in the head, armed with two short teeth. The bite is very painful, and produces (like the scorpion’s) severe fever, if some antidote is not immediately applied. In illustration of this, a sailor on board a West Indiaman was so severely wounded in the hand by a centipede, that his life was thought to be in danger; he was, however, eventually cured, by having roasted onions applied to the part affected. The workmen employed in pulling down old buildings, or in removing stacks of lumber, are also very often dreadfully bitten by these terrible creatures.
The Antiguan snakes are perfectly harmless; some of them are beautifully streaked and speckled. Spiders are also very numerous in this part of the world, and call for the constant use of the housemaid’s broom. The tarantula, or “horse-spider,” is the most celebrated in Antigua. It is about the size of a pigeon’s egg; the body and legs are stout, and thickly covered with stout black hairs, and the feet armed with triple claws, with which they hold their prey, while they tear it to pieces with their forceps. Their bite is very sharp, and is also often attended with fever; but the strange stories which have been related of the bite of the tarantula throwing its victims into a state of lethargy, from which the power of music can alone restore them, has long ago been proved a fable.
The cockroach, or blatta, is a most disgusting insect, although perfectly harmless, being utterly devoid of any weapon of warfare. It belongs to the order hemiptera, and is furnished with four plain wings, which, when walking, it conceals beneath its outward covering. The common cockroach is of a bright brown colour, with long antennæ, and wings exceeding the body in length. They are most destructive creatures, preying indiscriminately upon the contents of the larder, the linen-chest, or the book-case, or upon any insect they can overcome by treachery or open combat, or vary their repasts at times with a taste of the little negroes’ fingers, when they go to-bed with such members in a greasy state. Cockroaches cast their skins once or twice in the year; during those periods they present a most revolting appearance, being of a milky white instead of their usual brown hue. In the day, they lurk in holes and corners, but no sooner does night approach, or the clouds threaten rain, than they issue forth by legions, crawl over the floor or furniture, dash in your face, or commence their work of devastation upon your property, leaving their nauseous odours behind them upon whatever they may touch. The drummer-cockroach is of a dingy ash colour; it receives its name from the drumming noise it makes by striking, it is said, its horny head against any wooden substance it may come near. It is even more disgusting than the common cockroach, both as regards form and odour; the antennæ and wings are shorter, and the body of greater breadth, and differently marked; the feet are furnished with an adhesive liquid, which stain anything they pass over. The eggs of the cockroach are about one-third the size of their bodies; they are rather flat and long, and are covered with a hard shell of a brown colour. The parent insect attaches them to walls, curtains, the interior of boxes or drawers, or, indeed, any place which they deem convenient for the purpose, by means of a kind of animal gum with which they are provided. The cockroach has many enemies to contend against, among whom the domestic fowl is, perhaps, the most formidable, picking them up, impaling them alive upon their beaks, or swallowing them with a relish which none but a fowl could conceive. The avidity with which fowls seek such food gives rise to the negro proverb, “Dat time cockroach hab dance, he no ax fowl for to come.” They certainly are the pest of the West Indies; nothing escapes their depredations; and as the North American Indians have remarked of the deer, “The more you kill, the more they come.” The redeeming qualities of cockroaches are said to be, that they improve the flavour of wine, and make excellent fish-sauce!
There are immense hordes of caterpillars (erucæ) in Antigua; some among them are of great magnitude and beauty, although sad plunderers of the garden. After grovelling for some time upon the ground, and then undergoing the transformation of a nympha, they at length burst from their shelly covering, and, in the plenitude of life and joy, bound forward in the bright sunshine as so many gorgeous butterflies. Some of them are beautiful in the extreme, their velvety coats displaying every tint of the rainbow; but, alas! like all other beauties, their triumphs are soon over; the sun rises and sets but seldom for them, and after laying their 300 or 400 eggs, their business in the world is achieved—their little lives are over, and they again become a “thing of nought.”
Ants also abound, and infest every comer and cupboard in your dwelling. They have been held up as patterns of industry, and surely they possess that virtue in an eminent degree, for in vain does the thrifty housewife use her best endeavours to secure the contents of her larder from their depredations. They never tire, but surmount every difficulty, and, like the “Goths” and “Huns” of old, pour their countless legions over the whole face of the country. You may, with the greatest caution, suspend your choicest preserves from the ceiling, thinking that a place of security, but in a short time it is sure to be discovered by some roving ant, who, without loss of time, communicates the results of his foraging to his neighbours. The whole tribe are soon in motion, the discoverer acts as pioneer, and with great judgment conducts them over every impediment along the ceiling, down the string, until at length they gain the sweetmeat, where, sans ceremonie, they luxuriate at will. At other times, in order to guard the delicacies from the attacks of the ants, the vessel which contains it is placed in water, and there all is deemed quite secure. But not so; the ants are indefatigable; for no sooner does their sense of smelling tell them some choice dainty is inclosed therein, than they form a kind of bridge across the water, by one ant embracing another by the antennæ, and in this way they transport and enjoy the luxury at pleasure. There are ants of various sizes, and colours; the large black ant, the small black, the red ant, the wild ant, &c., but of all these varieties the sugar-ant is the most disagreeable. It is supposed the sugar-ant was first brought into the West Indies in a slaver, from the coast of Guinea, and after destroying vegetation to a great extent in Dominica, found its way to Antigua, where it committed great havoc upon the sugar canes. They are of small size, and of a light-brown colour, tinged with black, and when crushed, emit a mucilaginous substance of a fœtid smell.
As for flies, it would take an entomologist months to describe them, so numerous are their varieties; and of insects of a viler name, not to be mentioned to ears polite, the negroes would no doubt tell you they are far from being an extinct race. Bats are among the other denizens of Antigua, whose company is not very desirable. Some of them attain the size of pigeons; but although the dreaded “vampire” may be found among the number, we never hear of any creature falling a prey to its thirst for blood.
The principal aquatic birds are, boobies, or gannets, man-of-war birds, coots, gorlings, (a kind of heron,) gulls. The other birds are, chicken-hawks, (or killa-a-killa, as the negroes call them,) buzzards, turtle-doves, ground-doves, wild pigeons, quails, a brown bird, with a most melodious note,—“the nightingale of a tropic noon,” as Coleridge poetically calls it; sparrows, finches, yellowbreasts, blackbirds, (but not like those sweet songsters of old England’s woods,) several other birds, with whose names I am unacquainted, and lastly, the pigmy humming-bird. Speaking of these beautiful little creatures, a modern author remarks: “The consummate green of the emerald, the rich purple of the amethyst, and the vivid flame of the ruby, all happily blended and enveloped beneath a transparent veil of wavy gold, are distinguished in every species, but differently arranged and proportioned in each.” Pretty as this description is, it is not quite applicable to the humming-birds of Antigua; for although the “emerald” may be found, as well as the purple and gold, in some degree, “the vivid flame of the ruby” will be sought for in vain. Still it is a lovely little creature, with its long slender bill, its graceful little head, its sparkling black eye, and its fairy-like flittings among the fragrant blossoms of its sunny home. It has been asserted that the humming-bird is one of the shyest among the feathered tribe; but to express my own opinion, I think it has as good a stock of assurance as is possible to conceive for such a minute creature; while its passions are very strong, and it will attack any bird who comes within its range.
An anecdote was related to me during my stay in this island, which proves how strong maternal love reigns in the breast of a humming-bird. In order to increase a cabinet of birds, a negro was dispatched in quest of these little creatures, with orders to capture all he could; and in the course of his perambulations, he alighted upon one which had built her tiny nest of cotton in a secluded dell, and which, at that moment, was engaged in the office of incubation. Void of pity, the negro seized upon his prize, (which, with an expectant mother’s love, would not quit her eggs,) broke off the stem of the tree to which the nest was attached, and carried it the distance of ten or twelve miles to his master’s house, where it remained for four days; and although under no confinement, the humming-bird would not forsake her nest, but was conveyed in that situation on board ship, where she must have died of starvation; for who was to administer to her the ambrosial dews which formed her food?
There are many other creatures whose lives and habits might be given; but as I have already extended this part of my subject to greater lengths than I had intended, I must conclude, or my task would reach to many more pages.
[[68]] The cancer graspus is the handsomest of its species, being of a pale yellow, beautifully streaked and spotted with red, and deeply serrated claws of a pure white. When in its native element it spouts out the water from two orifices near its eyes, forming a beautiful and never-ceasing arch.
[[69]] It was the shell of a turtle which served that great monarch, Henry IV. of France, for a cradle.
[[70]] The guana has the power of fascinating small birds &c. in the same manner as the anaconda, or rattle-snake, does. When bent upon such deeds, it stretches itself baskingly in the sun, and darts out its long red tongue; the birds, attracted by the sight, hover round, apparently irresistibly approaching the creature’s mouth, until at length, when drawn within a convenient distance, the guana makes a sudden start, and with one effort swallows the poor bird.
[[71]] Oldmixon, in his history, says, the scorpions in Barbados are as big as rats. If so, the present race of scorpions must have degenerated greatly in size, or else the rats are of a Lilliputian family.
CHAPTER LII.
BOTANY.
In commencing this chapter upon botany, I deem it proper to mention first the forest trees, confining myself to those
vegetating in Antigua. As, however, it will be necessary to insert the botanical names, as well as their classifications, and wishful of throwing as much interest into the subject as possible, I have, along with my own observations upon these beauties of the creation, consulted other and more efficient botanists. It must be remarked, that nearly all the West Indian trees continue to bud and blossom throughout the year; so that there is no naked sprays and branches to be seen, as in old England’s woods in winter, but instead, every grove presents an unchanging canopy of the deepest green.
One of the commonest flowers in Antigua is the Four o’clock, mirabilis jalapa, or marvel of Peru, so called from the circumstance of its opening its pretty petals at that hour of the day. The leaves are of dark green, and shaped like a heart; the flowers are of a tubulous form, and of the several colours of red, white, or purple—the latter are the most common. The seeds are black and hard, and of a conical structure; the leaves are of much repute among the old nurses of Antigua, for their efficacy in relieving tumours, &c., but if it be only fancy, or if they really possess some medicinal qualities, I leave the gentlemen of the lancet to determine.
The Palmetto, areca oleracea, cabbage palm, or mountain cabbage, is the most beautiful tree in Antigua, and richly deserves the epithet of king of the West Indian forests. The trunk rises straight and smooth, and is of a most graceful form, being about four to seven feet in circumference at the base, and gradually tapering upwards to the height of from one hundred feet; it is of a silverish grey colour, and indented with rings, marking the place of former foot-stalks. The upper part of the trunk presents a finely turned polished column, of a beautiful green colour, which diverges gradually from its pedestal until it attains the centre, when it diminishes in the same manner to the top, from whence springs an acuminated spatha terminating in a point. The branches spring from the top of the trunk in an elegant plume-like manner; as they decay and fall off, they are succeeded by others bursting from the centre of those that remain. The young leaves are esteemed delicious when boiled, as well as the cabbage, which is found in the interior of the green part of the trunk. The flowers are hermaphrodite; the male calyx sends forth three petals and nine stamens; the female flower is like the male, and turns to an oval fruit, enclosing an oval seed, which will bear a fine polish, and was formerly used for buttons. A grove of these trees presents a beautiful appearance, forming indeed a colonnade of finely turned columns, from the top of which springs a verdant canopy.
Cocoa-nut Tree, cocos nucifera, belongs to the order monœcia hexandria. Male calyx is trifid, the corolla three-petalled, with five stamens; the female calyx is quinquefid, the corolla divided into three segments, and furnished with three stamens. The cocoa-nut tree is supposed to have been brought from the Maldives to the West Indies. It loves a sandy soil, and sometimes attains the height of eighty feet. The trunk is a straight column, slightly annulated, and tapering from the base to the summit, where it expands into branches of about fifteen feet long, and in a circular form, among which break forth the sheaths, which are open from top to bottom and full of flowers, or clusters of embryos. The branches are apparently fastened at the top with stringy threads, interwoven like a piece of coarse sackcloth; the pinnæ are of a deep glossy green, and, near the trunk, are often a foot long. The nut is much esteemed for the sweetness of its kernel, as well as for the milk and oil it produces. When the kernel first begins to grow, it is in the form of jelly, which lines the interior of the shell; as it increases in age, this jelly thickens, and becomes a solid mass of about a quarter of an inch thick, and of the whiteness of unsullied snow. The jelly nuts contain the largest supply of milk, or water, as it is generally termed in Antigua, often as much as a pint, or a pint and a half; it is most esteemed in this state, the ripe nut being seldom eaten in its crude form, but generally compounded into different kinds of sweetmeats, or shipped to England. Thomson, speaking of the cocoa-nut, observes—
“Amid those orchards of the sun,
Give me to drain the cocoa’s milky bowl,
And from the palm to draw its freshening fruit.”
These nuts are enclosed in a thick husk, composed of strong fibres, thickly matted together, which, when young, is of a bright green, but which attains a dull brown as it arrives at maturity; from these husks an excellent dye can be obtained, while the dried ones are now manufactured into mattresses, floor-cloths, and all kinds of brooms and mats. The trunk of the cocoa-nut tree is capable of being made into cordage, and, if tapped, a clear liquid issues, to which the name of arrack is given, which, when fermented, becomes an intoxicating drink. The shell of the nut is sometimes beautifully carved and polished, and, when mounted in silver, is used as cups or sugar-basins. From the kernel a clear white oil is extracted, which burns with great brilliancy, and emits a pleasant odour.
Whitewood-Tree, bucida buceras, is a beautiful forest-tree, and one that lives to a great age; there are some still remaining in the island which are said to be coeval with the first settlers. It rises to the height of forty or fifty-feet, and is thickly covered with a light-green foliage, here and there sprinkled with a leaf of the brightest red. It is said that ships built from its timber never breeds worms.
Cedars belong to the juniperus tribe. There are two species in Antigua, the white and the red. The white is a very beautiful tree, clothed with a dark-green glossy foliage, from whence spring flowers of a trumpet-like shape, and of the most delicate pink or pearly white. It forms a very beautiful avenue to a gentleman’s seat, as well as a road-side border; but the timber is not of so much value as the red cedar, which is another most lovely forest-tree, rising sometimes to from sixty to seventy feet, and of proportionate circumference. The foliage is very thick, the leaves in form like the English ash; the flowers (which have not the beauty of its sister tree) are succeeded by oval berries of a purplish colour. The wood of the cedar is too well known to need much description. It is of a reddish colour and of a fragrant smell, and is almost incorruptible, as no worms will breed in it. It has been related that cedar-wood was found in the temple of Apollo at Utica, full 2000 years old.
Silk-cotton Tree, bombax seva, or Ceiba, of the polyandria order, class monodelphia, is one of the most beautiful forest-trees of the western world, and a great ornament in tropic scenery. The trunk rises smooth and straight as a column, to the height of sixty or seventy feet, and of immense circumference. It is said to have originally been brought from Africa to the West Indies, where it now flourishes in splendid magnificence. The leaves are broad, and of a glossy green, the flowers of a delicate primrose, and campanulated; the corolla is quinquefid, from whence rises the pointal, which afterwards turns to a pod of about four or five inches in length, containing the seeds, and a profusion of bright beautiful silk. From its extreme shortness, it has been for a long time held as unfit for any use; but within these last few years, it is discovered it can be manufactured into hats. The East Indians use it for stuffings to their ottomans, cushions, and sofas, on which they recline during the heat of the day; but the West Indians, less effeminate and luxurious, allow it to float about in its native copses unheeded, except by the pretty little humming-bird, which sometimes builds her fairy nest from its silky fabric.
The Manchineal, or hippomane, rises from twelve to thirty feet, branching into several stems, but the main trunk sometimes attains three feet in circumference. It is a very beautiful tree, the bark smooth and of a brownish hue; and the leaves, of about two or three inches in length, are of the same glossy bright green as the laurel; they are thick and unctuous, and, when pressed, yield an oily milk. This tree has male catkins, which are produced at some distance from the embryos. The female pointal turns to a globular fleshy fruit, containing a rough woody nut, inclosing fewer or more flat seeds. This fruit is the celebrated manchineal apple, which, with the most beautiful exterior, possesses the most poisonous qualities. So dire is this plant, that the very sun, darting its rays upon it, calls forth all its dangerous odours, and renders it unsafe to the touch; while if any one takes shelter beneath its spreading boughs during a storm, the rain-drops as they trickle off the leaves blister any part of the skin they fall upon. Its timber is, however, made use of by cabinet-makers, although, when felling it, the wood-men, it is said, are obliged to cover their faces with thick cloth. The Caribs used to dip their arrows in this juice, which rendered the wound fatal. Poison extracted from this tree will preserve its venom for 100 years. The apples, if eaten, are said to be certain death to everything but goats.
Loblolly-Tree, varronia-alba, (pisonia subcordata?) is another denizen of Antigua, which shews its verdant green canopy throughout the year. The leaves are broad, glossy, and ovate; the trunk rises from the bottom in numerous woody stems, which, though they present a beautiful road-side scenery, are of very little use, except for fire-wood.
Sandbox-Tree, hura crepitans, rises to the height of from twenty to thirty feet. The trunk is straight and thick, and is armed with short prickles; the branches start from the top, and abound with an acrid juice. The leaves are broad and long, and of a dullish green. The male flowers are formed like a tapering column, and close over each other like the scales of fish; the female flowers consist of a trumpet-like style, with a quinquefid stigma. The germen becomes a round woody capsule, compressed at the ends like an orange, divided into twelve cells, each containing a flat oblong seed. When these capsules are ripe, they burst with a loud noise, scattering their seeds and severed cells to a great distance, and occasioning the negro, who may be passing at the time, to exclaim, “Eh! eh! de jumbies (ghosts) dun dere dinner hark dere plates; how dey mash ’em!” Before these pods burst, they are sometimes plucked by the Antiguans, and after being scraped and garnished with gold paper, are made into sandboxes, (from whence this tree derives its common name,) and sent to England as presents for the curious. This tree belongs to the natural order tricoccæ, and to the monœcia class of plants.
Logwood, hæmatoxylon Campechianum, grows in Antigua, but no use is made of it in the way of commerce. It rises from the height of eighteen to thirty feet. The trunk is generally uneven in its growth, with somewhat of a knotty surface; the branches are thorny, and thickly covered with lanceolated leaves, and the flowers, five-petalled, are of a delicate pale purple and yellow. The pointal afterwards becomes a flat oblong pod, containing a few kidney-shaped seeds. Altogether it forms a very beautiful object in woodland scenery. It belongs to the decandria class of plants.
Calabash-tree, crescentia cujete, rises to about the height of the English apple. The trunk is straight and columnar, branching off at the head into numerous long slender branches, clothed with dark green foliage. The flower is insignificant; the pointal afterwards becomes an oblong or globular fruit, of a fine green colour, and covered with a rind, which, as it approaches to maturity, attains the hardness and stability of maple wood. The interior of the fruit is filled with a white pulpy substance containing the seeds. This the negroes scrape carefully out, and after divesting the nut of its outer green covering, dry it in the sun, and then use them as culinary articles, instead of the more brittle cups and basins of English ware. Some of these calabashes, as they are generally termed, will hold from one to two gallons, while others will not contain more than a gill.
The Pimento, or Jamaica-pepper, is a species of myrtus. It is one of the most beautiful trees in the western hemisphere, the trunk rising smooth and shining, and of a silver-grey colour, to the height of from fifteen to twenty feet, when it branches off into a rich canopy of dark-green foliage, like the leaves of the bay-tree. These leaves are very odoriferous; from them may be expressed oil like that of cloves, and when distilled with rum or high wines, they rank first among the West Indian simple waters, known as bay-rum. The flowers are white with green stamens, and emit a pleasing fragrance; while the berries, round, black, and small, partake of the flavour of all the different spices, from whence their name, allspice. It is said of this tree, as of the nutmeg in the Moluccas, that the chief means of propagation is by the birds, who, swallowing the seeds, void them again whole, when they immediately take root and flourish.
Barbados-Lilac, melia azedarach, is a very beautiful
tree, rising from twelve to twenty feet. The bark is smooth and of an ash colour; it is bitter and astringent, and when compounded with aromatics, has been used (in the form of powders or decoctions) in fevers and chronic rheumatism. Toddy is said to be extracted from the young trees. The leaves are of a light green, and the sweet pale umbelliferous flowers hang in graceful tassels from every branch.
Turpentine Tree, burseræ gummifera, belongs to the order diœcia, class polygamia; the calyx is triphyllous, the corolla three-leaved, and the seed-vessel tri-valved. It grows very fast, and sometimes attains a great height. The trunk is of a bright brown, sometimes mottled with red, and presents a glossy appearance; the leaves are broad, and of a deep green. It is so tenacious of life, that it will bud and blossom after being cut up and planted as posts.
Nickel, or nickar tree, guilandina, is a curious genus of the monogynia order, decandria class of plants. There are two species, the bonduc, or yellow nickar, and the bonducella, or grey nickar. They are both of them climbing plants, sometimes attaining the height of fifteen or eighteen feet. The flowers are quinquefid, the petals of a yellow colour, and growing from the wings of the stalks. The germen becomes an oblong pod, thickly covered with slender spines, two-valved, and containing two hard seeds of the size and shape of a marble; those of the bonduc are yellow; the bonducella, of a beautiful grey colour, from whence their respective names.
Locust-Tree, hymenæa courbaril; order monogynia, class decandria. This tree sometimes rises to the height of sixty or seventy feet, in a straight column-like trunk, of two or three feet in circumference, covered with an ash-coloured bark. The leaves are of a dark-green, and the flowers, divided into five segments, and of a pale purple, streaked with yellow, come out in loose spikes at the end of the branches. The germen becomes a thick fleshy pod, of four or five inches long, covered with a hard brown shell, and containing a farinaceous substance, in taste something like gingerbread, but of a most intolerable odour, but which is eaten heartily by the negroes. In it is seated two or three hard brown seeds, of about the size of marbles, but of an oblong shape. The timber is used for making bedsteads, &c., while from the roots a dark transparent gum may be procured, which, when dissolved with spirits of wine, forms an excellent varnish.
The Cashew-nut Tree, or anacardium, belongs to the order diœcia, class polygamia. The cup of the flower is oblong and quinquefid. The flower is deciduous, and is formed of a single leaf, divided into five concave segments, with five lanceolated petals; at the bottom of the calyx is the ovarie, which turns to a fruit the size and shape of a bury pear, and of a red or yellow colour; it abounds in a sweet juice, slightly acrid, but which is much esteemed by the Antiguans in punch or lemonade; from the apex of the fruit grows the seed, in shape like a hare’s kidney, the upper part of the receptacle being the largest. The shell is thick and cellular, and abounds in a dark caustic oil, which blisters the parts it is applied to; it is said to be used by some West Indian ladies to improve their complexion—it must prove a very painful wash, I should think; far unlike Rowland’s inimitable Kalydor. When roasted, the kernel is very sweet; they are often sent to England as presents. It is a common practice in Antigua, to place the young fruit, when growing, in a shallow-necked bottle, which is attached to the tree; when the fruit is full grown, it is severed from the tree, and the bottle filled with high wines, which keeps it in a state of preservation. Thus prepared, it is sent to England as a curiosity, where it raises surprise from the fact of so large a fruit having entered at so small an aperture as a bottle’s mouth. The milk which oozes from the tree stains of a deep black, which no ablution will remove.
Mango-Tree, mangifera, belongs to the polygamia class of plants. This tree sometimes rises to a great height, and is covered with a roughish bark. The leaves are often eight or nine inches long, and about an inch and a half in breadth, and the flowers start from loose umbels at the end of the branches. The germen afterwards becomes a large, oblong, fleshy fruit, of a fine yellow colour, and containing a flat seed covered with a woolly substance. When good, it has something of the flavour of a ripe apricot, but the generality of mangos are so strongly impregnated with turpentine, that it is almost uneatable. When fermented, an agreeable drink is said to be procured from the fruit. This tree was introduced into the West Indies from some part of Africa. In 1798, Admiral Lord Rodney planted it in Jamaica; he had taken the plants in a French prize from the Isle of Bourbon.
Banana, musa sapientum, rises to the height of six or ten feet; the leaves are about eight inches broad, and three feet long, and of a bright green colour, deeply veined. The wind, as it blows them backwards and forwards, severs them at these several veins, so that in a few days, from unfolding, the banana branches hang in tattered shreds. The fruit is oblong, and about four inches in length; the outer covering is yellow, and the flavour something like that of an over-ripe apple. When cut longitudinally, a representation of the crucifixion of our Saviour is said to be perceived, but this, I think, is a vagary of the imagination—at least, I never could find anything of the sort, although I have cut many bananas.
The Custard Apple, annona reticulata, is a genus of the polygynia order, class polyandria. This tree rises to about the height of a common apple. The cup of the flower is three-leaved, from whence start six petals of the heart-shaped kind, and antheræ are numerous. The pointal becomes a large roundish fruit, of a pulpy consistence, and containing a great number of black seeds; it is not held in much repute, and is scarcely eaten except by the negroes, although Ligon speaks of it as being very delicious.
Star-apple, chrysophyllum cainito, belongs to the monogynia order, and petandria class of plants. It rises to the height of thirty-five or forty feet, with a smooth straight trunk, from which shoot several branches at regular distances. The foliage is of a deep green on the upper side, with the underneath of a russet colour. The flower is campaniform, divided into ten segments, but of no great beauty; from the calyx rises the pointal, which afterwards becomes the fruit, of a globular shape, and divided into ten cells, in each of which is a flattish glossy seed. It derives its name from its internal arrangement, which, when cut transversely, presents the form of a star.
Papaw, carica papaya, a genus of the decandria order, class diœcia. The trunk rises in a simple hollow stem, marked in lozenges, to the height of eighteen or twenty feet; the trees are male and female; the leaves are large, and divided into several lobes, and come out upon very long, hollow footstalks, from the acros or summit of the tree. The male flowers are tubelous, and divided into five segments; the calyx small, and the filaments short and long alternately. The colour is a bright primrose, and, seated as they are upon their pale green flower-stalk, they present a very beautiful appearance. The female flowers are also primrose colour, and expand in form of a star, so deeply cut into six segments, that they appear to consist of so many distinct leaves. The calyx is quinquedentated; and from the centre rises the pointal, surmounted by a crest of four leaves. This pointal afterwards becomes a fleshy fruit, of an oblong or globular form, covered with a thin rind, and containing, as in a melon, numerous small black seeds of the pungent flavour of pepper. The fruit, when good, has the colour, and something of the taste, of an apricot; when unripe, the internal part is quite white, and in such state is boiled and dished up in the manner of turnip. It is also cut into various forms, and, mixed with peppers, cucumbers, &c., forms the West Indian pickles. The milk which exudes from it is said to be efficient in making meats tender; and, accordingly, its good qualities are often put to the test by notable housewives, who wish to pass off their old fowls, of five or six generations, for young chickens. From all parts of the tree flows this acrid milky juice, or albumen, which may be used instead of egg in clarifying sugar or liquors. It is also said to be a specific for the toothache.
Soursop, annona muricata, of the polygynia order, polyandria class. It is a richly foliaged tree, rising to the height of about twenty feet. The flowers have a grateful but rather heavy odour. The calyx is three-leaved; the corolla is large, composed of six petals—the three outer ones concave and coriaceous, and of a yellow colour; the three inner ones somewhat smaller and spherical. The flowers are deciduous, and when they open they make so loud a report as to occasion a start from those who stand beneath the tree. The fruit is pulpy, and covered with a thick green rind, of the consistence of leather, studded over with green prickles, cone-shaped, and attains a great size; the interior is cellular, and furnished with oblong glossy seeds, which spring from the spear-shaped core. The juice makes an excellent transparent jelly; but in its crude form the fruit is never introduced at genteel tables, although of a very grateful flavour: all manner of stock are fond of it, and the little negroes luxuriate most freely upon it when in season.
Mamma Sapota, achras mammosa, is a splendid lofty tree, belonging to the monogynia order, class pentandria. The pistil of the flower is rather long, and is surrounded by six stamens. The fruit is globular, and is covered with a thick brown rind; the eatable part lies between that and the large round seed, which is covered with a fine thin skin. It is very indigestible when eaten in its crude state, but makes a luscious sweetmeat, which is generally esteemed.
Bread Fruit, artocarpus, belongs to the order monandria, and the monœcia class of plants. It was brought from Otaheite to these islands by Captain Bligh, a gentleman well known for his trials in the “Mutiny of the Bounty.” This tree rises to the height of about forty feet, and is covered with a thick foliage; the leaves are sometimes a foot and a half long, of an oblong shape, and when broken, exude a milky juice. The trunk is of a pale ash colour, with a smoothish bark; the catkins, or male flowers, have no calyx, but are formed of valves hanging down in the form of ropes; the corolla has two petals, and concave; the female flower has neither corolla nor calyx, but the germs are numerous, connected into a globe. The fruit is globular, and about the size of a melon; the rind is thick and green, and is divided hexagonally in the form of net-work; the internal part is covered with a substance like thick wool. The edible part of the fruit lies between the skin and the core; it is perfectly white, and something like new bread, but it must be roasted before eaten. The taste is insipid, but is said to afford great nourishment. The milk which oozes from the trunk, when boiled with cocoa-nut oil, makes an excellent bird-lime, and the wood is useful for building.
Sappadilla, achras sapota, of the monogynia order, class pentandria. The calyx is a perianthum, with six erect concave leaves; the corolla bears one petal, the full length of the cup; the germen is globular, and becomes a pulpy fruit of a similar form, having twelve cells, each containing a glossy oblong black seed. The fruit is very luscious to the taste, and ranks among one of the first at an Antiguan table. The tree is about the size of the oak, and continues to bud and blossom throughout the year: there are three species of this tree.
Sugar Apple, annona squamosa, another genus of the polygynia order, polyandria class. The flower is insignificant, and nearly scentless; the pointal changes to a cone-shaped fruit of a dead green colour, divided into oblong compartments, each one cellular, and furnished with a flat glossy seed. The fruit abounds in saccharine juice, from whence its name. It grows to the height of about fifteen feet, and is thickly covered with oblong leaves, the upper part of a dead green, the underneath approaching to white.
Sea-side Grape, coccoloba uvifera; of the order trigynia, and octandria class of plants. The calyx is divided into five segments, of a velvety texture; there is no corolla, but the berry, containing one seed, is formed from the calyx. It luxuriates most freely in a sandy soil, where it sometimes attains the height of from eight to fifteen feet. The trunk, or rather trunks, for it sends up from the root several stems, is covered with a smooth brown bark. The leaves are orbicular, and are from five to six inches in circumference; they are of a bottle-green, and deeply veined, and stand upon short, thick foot-stalks. The fruit is of a red colour, but when quite ripe, approaches to black; it contains one seed, in form, like a cocoa-nut. There are fourteen species of this shrub, of which the chigery grape, coccoloba nivea, is another denizen of Antigua. It is not, however, much esteemed for the flavour. The flowers, which afterwards turn to the fruit, come out at the wing of the stalk, in racemi of about the length and appearance of white currants.
The Shaddock, citrus decumana, order polyandria, class polyadelphia, is a native of China; it was brought first to the West Indies by Captain Shaddock; hence its name. It is another species of the tribe citrus, belonging to the same class and order as its sister shrubs, the lime and orange. The fruit is of two kinds—the one with a white pulp, the other of a reddish colour; the latter is the most esteemed. The fruit is of much larger dimensions than the orange, with a thick rough rind, which is capable of being manufactured into a very superior kind of bitters. This tree grows to the height of from eight to twelve feet, with thick broad leaves, slightly serrated.
Lime-tree, citrus limonum, of the polyadelphia order, class polyandria. The calyx is divided into five segments, the corolla is quinquefid, and of the most delicate white, and with numerous antheræ tipped with yellow farina. The scent of the flowers is most delicious; and their silvery whiteness, contrasted with the glossy green of the foliage, renders it one of the most beautiful of shrubs. The lime-tree is said to resemble the holly of England in appearance; it sometimes attains the height of fifteen feet. Oldmixon, speaking of this shrub, says—“Fifty years ago, the planters made hedges of them about their houses; their prickles served for a fortification against the naked negroes.” The fruit is very fragrant, of the colour and shape of a lemon, and about the size of a hen’s egg; the juice is a strong acid. Galisco mentions that it was the lime-tree and the box which Harpalus found so much difficulty in cultivating at Babylon.
The Orange, citrus aurantium, is of the same class and order as the foregoing. The trunk rises smooth and straight, from six to ten feet in height, when it divides into several branches, forming a green canopy. The leaves are oval-shaped, and of a glossy green; and its beautiful and fragrant flowers spring forth from numerous flower-stalks at the side of the branches. The fruit, when gathered, is in a green state, which afterwards attains a yellow colour. An orange-bough just severed from the tree, bending gracefully from the weight of its fruit, and shewing its clusters of pearly blossoms, is a very lovely picture.
Avocada Pear, persea gratissima, order trigynia, class Enneandria, is a lofty tree, crowned with a dense foliage, and bearing one of the best fruits the island produces. The shape is that of a quince, covered with a tough, ligneous rind, and containing one large, compressed globular seed. In flavour, it somewhat resembles a broiled vegetable marrow. It is sometimes eaten with wine and sugar, but more generally with pepper and salt.
Black Cherry, cerasus occidentalis, is a genus of the natural order rosaceæ. It rises to about the height of 20 or 30 feet. The wood is much used by the negroes in their wattled houses, as it is of a flexible nature. The leaves are obovated, and the delicate-looking flowers hang from every branch.
The Acacia rises to about twenty feet in branching stems, armed with long and sharp thorns. The flowers are globular, and of a bright yellow; they hang from every spray, and load the air with their fragrant odours. The pointal afterwards becomes a legume, containing several flat brown seeds, like those of lupins; these seeds have been found useful in setting dyes, and the gum produced from the trees is the best that can be used in calico printing; formerly the flowers were made use of in the materia medica, but this age of wisdom has expelled those various conserves which once loaded the shelves of an apothecary’s shop.
Lignum Vitæ, guaiacum, or pack wood, as it is sometimes
called, is another beautiful forest tree of Antigua. It attains the size of a large oak; the trunk is covered with a hard, brown bark, although the branches are of a greyish-ash colour. The foliage is magnificent, and of the sweetest green, while the beauty of the tree is enhanced by the clusters of cerulean flowers, which hang in loose umbels from almost every spray.
Perhaps the most beautiful and fragrant flower which grows in Antigua is the frangepanier, or plumeria. It rises to the height of from ten to fifteen feet, with a rough, greyish trunk, from whence start numerous fantastic-shaped branches, convolving and wreathing their long, naked arms on all sides. From the end of these branches start large, oblong leaves, standing upon three-inch footstalks, and forming a beautiful cluster. These leaves are deciduous, and as they fall off, are succeeded by bunches of flowers, which grow in umbels, rising from one centre stem, of about three or four inches in length. These flowers are of the most delicate pink, shaded off to white, and of a velvety surface, the lower part of the petals being yellow. They are divided into five or six segments, and the scent of them is so delicious, that it ravishes the senses while inhaling its odour. All parts of this tree abounds in a milky, acrid juice, which drops freely upon breaking off the least part, or making the slightest incision.
Guava Tree, psidium pomiferum, order monogynia, class icosandria, rises in the manner of a shrub, to the height of from two to twelve feet. The leaves are ovate, and of a dusky green; the flowers consist of five segments, produced in a circular form, with numerous stamens surrounding an ovary of an oblong form. This becomes a fleshy fruit, of the shape and colour of a lemon, surmounted by a crest of small leaves. The interior of the fruit is of a rose-colour, or a pure white, containing numerous small, yellow seeds; the flavour is exquisite, and the jelly made from it surpasses the whole world of confectionary. The celebrated Sir Hans Sloane is said to have been particularly fond of it; indeed, it is a universal favourite, and cattle and birds greedily eat the fruit in its crude form.
Bamboo, bambusa arundinacea, belongs to the order monogynia, class hexandria. It rises to a great height, sometimes fifty or sixty feet. The young stalks are almost solid, and are filled with a sweetish kind of liquid, which, as they progress in age and become hollow, falls to the bottom of the joint, where it is stopped by a woody membrane, and concretes into a kind of sugar, called tabaxir. This tabaxir is said to possess strong medicinal qualities, and was held in such esteem by the ancients, that it was often sold for its weight in silver. The bamboo is used in Antigua for spouts, fish-pots, or as posts for fences: it forms a pretty screen, and as the wind wantons through its lanceolated leaves, a pleasing melody ensues.
Physic Nut, jatropha curcas, belongs to the same order and class as the cassada, &c. It grows to the height of ten or twelve feet, with a knotty stem, and the leaves (cordate and angular) starting from the ends of the branches. The flowers are green, and hang in umbels; they are succeeded by nuts, with the outward covering green, and containing an oblong kernel, separated by two milk-white leaves, of a perfect shape. This plant is often used for fences, and according to old Ligon, is “of so poisonous a nature that no animal will approach it.” This is not correct in every point, for it produces no ill-consequences, unless taken to excess, when it acts as a violent cathartic.
The French Physic Nut, jatropha multifida, is another species of this tribe. It rises in a shrubby manner, from eight to ten feet in height, the main stem being covered with a silver-grey bark, and dividing into several branches at the top. The leaves are large and lobed, and the flowers, of a purple colour, grow from the extremity of the branches, in groups. They are succeeded by nuts, of the same size and appearance as those of the jatropha curcas.
Peppers, capsicums, genus of the monogynia order, class pentandria. There are twenty species of this tribe, the principal of which known in Antigua is the bonnet or bonny pepper, capsicum angulosum, of a bright yellow; the goat-pepper, or capsicum annuum, of an oblong figure, and red colour, not much esteemed for flavour; the cherry-pepper, or capsicum cerasiforme, also red, in form like a large Kentish cherry—from whence its name; and the bird-pepper, the most esteemed of all capsicums. This last is a most beautiful shrub; the leaves are of the deepest green, and the fruit, with all the rich glow of the coral, bursting from their light green cups, cluster upon every bough. It is from the bird-pepper the best cayenne is produced; when mixed with the yellow bonny, the colour becomes paler, and is less esteemed. The London adulterators, in order to keep up that bright red tinge, are in the habit of colouring their cayenne with red lead.
The Jasmines are of great beauty and variety in Antigua. The principal among them are the Arabian jasmine, jasminum sambac, and the Cape jasmine, jasminum fragrans. The leaves are large, and of a beautiful green, while the silvery blossoms, of a rose-like form, fill the air with their delicious fragrance. This shrub is a genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the diandria class of plants.
King of Flowers, lagerstrœmia indica, is a genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the polyandria class of plants. It is one of the ornaments of the Antiguan flower-garden—its rosy corolla peeping from its bright green leaves; still it is not near so worthy of praise as its fair consort, the lovely
Queen of Flowers, lagerstrœmia regina, which does not throw out her delicate pink petals until her slight limbs are bent down beneath her flowing burden.
“Lady of the Night,” cestrum nocturnum, of the monogynia order, and pentandria class of plants, one of the sweetest and most poetical of all the Antiguan flowering shrubs. The flowers are of a delicate white, and elegantly shaped. As the day draws to a close, they unfold their lovely petals, which emit the most delicious odour, and that so powerful, that a single flower will perfume an entire suite of apartments. It is not “labour lost” to sit up until midnight, to watch the unfolding of this darling child of Flora’s in all her glory; for, in the words of the poet,
“Her beauty hangs upon the cheek of night,
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear.”
The Flower Fence, or Barbados pride, poinciana pulcherrima, is a very beautiful aculeated shrub, of the order monogynia; the flowers, of a bright red and yellow, are papilionaceous; the pistilum is long, and the stamens numerous; the seeds are oblong and glossy, and when beaten up with borax and water are said to form an excellent cement. There are two species, the red and the yellow, each equally admired, and which form a most beautiful garden fence, from whence the name. The leaves of the shrub are supposed to contain some medicinal qualities, and are consequently much esteemed by “old women.”
Trumpet Flower, bignonia unguis, is a genus of the angiospermia order, class didynamia; the calyx is quinquefid, the corolla of an elegant bell-shape, and is also quinquefoliated. It is one of the most glowing beauties of the West Indian florist’s world. By some it is called the scarlet jessamin, from its colour.
The Noyeau-vine, convolvulus dissectus, belongs to the order monogynia, class pentandria; the flower is campiform, but expands beneath the influence of the light into the figure of a star. The petals are of a delicate pearly white, the lower parts of a deep purple, the leaves of a deep green; and the seeds, black and very hard, are contained in a three-celled capsule. Noyeau is said to be extracted from this plant, from whence its name; but setting aside this doubtful good quality, it is one of the most admired parasites Antigua produces, and forms a great ornament to a verandah or balcony.
Among the other beautiful vines to be met with, are the passiflora tribe; they are—
1st. The Granadilla, passiflora quadrangularis.
2nd. The Water Lemon, passiflora maliformis, and
3rd. The Conch Nut, passiflora maliformis.
The granadilla bears a large, oblong fruit, with a thick, fleshy covering, and containing a most delicious pulpy consistence, of a slightly-acid flavour, with numerous flat seeds.
The fruit of the water lemon is of a similar flavour, but of smaller growth, in size and shape more resembling a lemon—from whence its name—and with a covering more ligneous. The conch nut is the most acid, and of an inferior quality. It is of a globular form, with a smooth woody shell. All these varieties form an elegant arbour, with their glossy green leaves, and their lovely blossoms, of the same fair form and colour as the passion-flower—a genus of their own tribe.
Aloe, a genus of the order monogynia, class hexandria: there are thirteen species of aloes, the most common of which found in Antigua is the aloe plant, aloe vulgaris. The leaves are broad and thick, and about from two to three feet long; they are full of strong fibres, which can be manufactured into cordage, &c. The aloe plant is commonly used for fences, its long sharp-pointed leaves proving an excellent repellant to any intruder. From the centre of the plant rises a smooth green stem, or column, of about twenty or thirty feet high, broad at the base, and tapering to the top, where it branches out into numerous pedunculuses, or flower stalks. This plant has no calyx; the corolla is monopetalous, and of the colour of the brightest gold, which produces a splendid appearance when in bloom. They are very hardy plants, and can scarcely be destroyed even if wished.
Spanish Needle, bindens leucantha; of the natural order, compositiæ oppositifoliæ. The leaves are composed of strong fibres, which are capable of being manufactured into a ship’s cable or a skein of lace thread, a sail for a man-of-war or the finest cambric handkerchiefs.
Cactus, cacteæ, is an order of plants that abounds in all parts of the island. They consist of a calyx adhering to the ovary, the corolla divided into several segments, and the petals variously coloured. The fruit is a succulent seedy berry, in some species of a beautiful red colour. The stems are covered with small tubercles, containing tufts of sharp spines, varying in size. The “Turk’s cap,” melocactus communis, is one of the handsomest of its tribe. It rises in a globular-shaped stem, deeply channelled, of a green colour, and covered with long spines. The top is surmounted by a spherical spinal crest, of a beautiful rose colour, with fleshy seeds of the same glowing tinge. It grows wild in all the sun-dried plains of Antigua, and forms a singular contrast to the withered-looking herbage. The prickly pear is another member of this family; the leaves are thick and oblong, covered with long spines, and filled with a muculent substance. The fruit is in form like an English pear, and of a slightly acid flavour; the rind is thick, and of a red colour, marked near the base with streaks of yellow; the pulpy interior is of the finest crimson, and of the consistence of syrup, which is sometimes used to colour sweetmeats, and affords at times a rich treat to the little negroes. The fruit starts from the leaves without any footstalks, and leaf succeeds to leaf, until it attains the height of from five to six feet. It loves a sandy soil, but on every bank, or in every pasture, it may be met with; while from its formidable spines, and thick fleshy leaves, it forms an excellent fence. There is another species, called the French prickly pear, the succulent leaf of which is sometimes used as a vegetable.
The Egg-Plant, solanum melongena, or ovigerum, is a curiosity in the vegetable kingdom. It attains the height of from two to three feet, and is covered with downy leaves of an ovate form. The fruit is of a globose fleshy berry, of the size, shape, and colour of a hen’s egg, from whence its name.
There are three species of lilies indigenous to the country, the most common of which is the Lily-asphodel, amaryllis equestris, a genus of the monogynia order, hexandria class of plants. The flower rises from an oblong emarginated spatha; the corolla consists of six lance-like petals, of a clear white, with long slender stamens. The seed-bag, or capsule, is composed of three valves, and contains numerous seeds.
Cotton Shrub, or gossypium, rises to the height of six or seven feet. The flower is bell-shaped, and consists of one leaf deeply cut into several segments, enfolding one another, and of a pale primrose. From the centre of the flower rises a kind of hollow cylinder, adorned with chives or filaments. The pointal becomes a globular fruit, or pod, composed of five cells, containing small, hard, black seeds, closely enwrapped in the wool, (or cotton, as it is more generally termed,) which, when ripe, bursts open at the apex, and discloses the snowy interior.
Castor Plant, or palma Christi, is a very pretty shrub, rising to the height of about fifteen feet. It expands into numerous branches, from which spring dark green leaves, deeply lobed, and standing upon long footstalks. The flowers are insignificant in appearance; the germen becomes a three-celled, globular pod, covered with slender spines, and contains three beautifully-polished, oblong seeds, of a black and silver-grey colour. The best castor oil is obtained from these seeds, by pressure; but the common practice in use among the negroes is to boil them in water, and skim off the unctuous matter as it rises to the top.
Cassada, or cassava, is made from the roots jatropha, or janipha manihot. This plant belongs to the natural order euphorbiaceæ, and abounds in a juice, the smallest dose of which is highly dangerous from its poisonous qualities. It, however, forms a nutritious food after the juice is well expressed, when it is baked in the form of thin cakes, and supplies the want of bread. Farina and tapioca are other preparations from this root, half a pound of which, per diem, is said to be sufficient to support the strongest man.
Arrow-root, and tout-les-mois, is the fecula obtained by a similar process from those several roots, the nutritious qualities of which are too well known in the sick chamber to call for further mention. The petals of the arrow-root are of a clear white, while those of the tout-les-mois are of a fine crimson, and start from long sheath-like leaves. The French gave the name to this latter plant, from the fact of its flowering every month.
There are a great variety of grasses to be met with in Antigua, the principal of which are—the Guinea-grass, cent. per cent. grass, (panicum colonum,) devil-grass, (cynodon dactylon,) and nut-grass, (cyperus hydra.) The Guinea-grass was introduced into the West Indies, from the coast of Guinea, as its name declares. Jamaica was the first island in which it was propagated, and that by mere accident. The seed of this species of herbage was brought from Africa, as food for some curious birds, natives of that clime, which the captain of a slaver intended to convey to Jamaica as a present. Soon after their arrival, the birds died, and the seed was thrown away as useless. It, however, took root, and flourished surprisingly. The cattle grazing in that part of the island found it out, and eagerly feasted upon it, which being perceived by the planters, the remaining roots were protected for seedlings, and thus the growth of this species was established, and finally distributed throughout the other islands, where it now ranks among the most esteemed of grasses.
The different species of grain propagated in Antigua are the Indian Corn, or Maize, and the Guinea Corn—both of them included in the botanical name, Zea. The Indian corn rises to the height of about five or six feet; the leaves are eleven or twelve inches long, and two broad, with the edges deeply serrated. The corn, when ripe, is of a bright golden colour, and the ear is covered with a brown silken substance, and then enwrapped in a husk composed of many leaf-like envelopes, which are dried and used by the negroes for stuffing their beds.
The Guinea corn attains the height of about seven or eight feet; the stalk is about the thickness of a small rattan, and is, it is said, capable of being manufactured into sugar. The main stalk branches at the top into several pedicles, each of which bears an ear of corn; the grains are small and round, like shot; they are inclosed in a black shell, which, as the corn ripens, bursts, and forms two small leaves. This grain is used chiefly for feeding horses, &c., although the negroes sometimes manufacture it into meal, and boil it into a kind of pudding.
Of the esculent roots, the yam, dioscorea sativa, is the most valuable the island produces. There are several varieties of this plant, the roots of some of them weighing from 20 to 30lbs. The flowers are green, and consist of six segments, the male flowers having six stamens, and the female three styles. The leaves are broad, and strongly veined, and are seated upon long spreading vines. The internal colour of the root varies according to the species—some being quite white, others white and red blended together, which are called by the negroes moonshine, and some of a reddish purple.
The Sweet Potatoe, convolvulus batatas, is the most common in Antigua. It grows upon a twining vine, and vegetates best in a clayey land. The flower is campiform, and the leaves deeply lobated. There are several varieties of this root, some of which attain a great size; it abounds in a saccharine milky juice, which stains the flesh touched by it.
Eddoes, arum maximum Ægyptianum, are small edible roots, abounding, in their crude form, in a slimy juice, but when thoroughly ripe and boiled, attains a dry floury consistence. The natives consider it as one of their standing vegetables, using it in soups, &c.; but to an English palate it is generally distasteful at first trial.
Squashes, cucurbita melopepo, is a pomiferous herb much esteemed by the Antiguans. The yellow bell-flower is succeeded by a small, oblong fruit, which, when boiled, is very similar to the English vegetable marrow.
Soap-berry tree, or saponaria. The flowers are white and small, and are succeeded by acrid berries of the size and colour of small cherries. They were formerly imported to England, where they were used for waistcoat buttons. If pounded and thrown into water, it is said they cause the death of all the fish therein. These berries answer the purpose of soap in washing linen, (from whence they attain their name,) and are recommended as a specific for the disease of yaws in poultry.
There are a great variety of peas in Antigua, but none of them of the delicate flavour of those usually cultivated in England. The principal sorts are the pigeon pea, the black-eyed pea, and the white bean, or Barbados pea. The general use made of these vegetables is to boil them in soup, which forms a grand dish in negro cookery; they are used either in their dry or green state.
Ginger is a genus of the monogynia order, class monandria. There are ten species, each natives of tropical climates; the common ginger, or amomum zingiber, is the one most known in Antigua. The flower-stalks rise by the side of the leaves, (which are of a light green, and very narrow,) directly from the root; they are scaly, and from every joint issues a single blue flower, five-leaved, and shaped like the iris. The ovary afterwards becomes a triangular fruit, the seed being contained in three cells. The use of the dried root is too well known in England to descant upon the virtues of it; the green root is preserved in sugar, and forms a much admired sweetmeat.
Pine apple, ananas, is the queen of Antiguan fruits. There are two varieties, the “black pine,” and the “white pine;” of these the first mentioned is the most esteemed. The flavour of the pine is exquisite, not to be described, but eaten to have its excellences fully appreciated; it forms, indeed, a perfect ambrosia not to be surpassed by that of Mount Olympus.
Water Melon, or anguria, a genus of the diandria order, class monœcia. The calyx is quinquefid, and the flower quinquepetalous. The fruit belies not its name, abounding in a sweet water; it is three-celled, and contains numerous flat seeds; the scent is very fragrant. There are three kinds of melon in Antigua, all of which are esteemed for their cooling qualities.
Of the capreolated plants, the gourd (cucurbita) is the most common in the island. The flower consists of one leaf, an expanded campiform, but so deeply divided that it appears upon first view to be five distinct segments. The germen becomes an oblong, bottle-shaped fruit, divided into six cells, containing flat, oblong seeds. The bitter flavour of the gourd is extreme; but both the fruit and leaves are said to be of great efficacy in some diseases of the viscera.
Among the acroydra tribe, the principal found in Antigua is the Ground Nut, arachis hypogæa. It is a genus of the decandria order, class polyadelphia. The flowers are papilionaceous, and the leaves of a light green; the nut, which grows from the root, is not dug until the plant withers. It is roasted before eaten; the kernel, which is twofold; is very sweet, and forms an important article of traffic to the petty hucksters.