Of the serpents and snakes of the island of Cuba or Fernandina.

Translated by Isabella Perez ’21

On the island of Cuba there are many snakes of many types and differences, as well as lizards, scorpions, centipedes, wasps, and all these and their fellows, just as it has been said of Hispaniola in the preceding books. But especially relating to the snakes, much larger snakes or serpents have been seen on Cuba—some have died that are as thick as a man’s thigh or thicker and as long as twenty-five or thirty feet or more. But they are very slow and meek and not irritable, and the Indians eat them; often they find in their maw six or seven or more of those guabiniquinax of which I have spoken, all together after being swallowed whole, even though they are larger than rabbits.