trip between San Antonio and Alquizar,
in a volante with a planter, this subject happened to be under
discussion, when the writer discovered a snake, six feet long, and as
large at the middle as his arm, directly before the volante. On suddenly
exclaiming, and pointing it out, the planter merely replied by giving
its species, and declaring that a child might sleep with it unharmed. In
the meantime, it was a relief to see the _innocent_ creature hasten out
of the way and secrete itself in a neighboring hedge. Lizards,
tarantulas and chameleons, abound, but are considered harmless. The
writer has awakened in the morning and found several lizards creeping on
the walls of his apartment. Only one small quadruped is found in Cuba
that is supposed to be indigenous, and that is called the hutia, much
resembling a mouse, but without the tail.

The Cuban blood-hound, of which we hear so much, is not a native of the
island, but belongs to an imported breed, resembling the English
mastiff, though with longer nose and limbs. He is naturally a fierce,
blood-thirsty animal, but the particular qualities which fit him for
tracing the runaway slaves are wholly acquired by careful and expert
training. This training of the hounds to fit them for following and
securing the runaway negroes is generally entrusted to a class of men
who go about from one plantation to another, and who are usually
Monteros or French overseers out of employment. Each plantation keeps
more or less of these dogs, more as a precautionary measure, however,
than for actual use, for so certain is the slave that he will be
instantly followed as soon as he is missed, and easily traced by the
hounds, of whose instinct he is fully aware, that he rarely attempts to
escape from his master. In one respect this acts as a positive advantage
to the negroes themselves, for the master, feeling a confidence relative
to their possession and faithfulness, and well knowing the ease with
which they can at once be secured should they run away, is thus enabled
to leave them comparatively free to roam about the plantation, and they
undergo no surveillance except during working hours, when an overseer is
of course always somewhere about, looking after them, and prompting
those that are indolent.

The blood-hounds are taken when quite young, tied up securely, and a
negro boy is placed to tease and annoy them, occasionally administering
a slight castigation upon the animals, taking care to