Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-07
SPORT In AUSTRALIA.
Exciting Chase After the Timid and
Fleet-Footed Kangaroo.
TREY OUTRUN THE BEST HORSES.
This Swift Emu Which Rips Open Dog
and Men With Its Claw.
KEELING THE IGUANA WITH SPEARS
WRITTEN FOE THE prsrArcH.1

| compartment is the rich bay of distant
packs in chase and the expectant whimper
of the hounds in leash; it echoes the sharp
twang of twisted brass; it calls for breezy
uplands, for soft grass and open woods.
Anyone can picture to himself the English
hunting scene which the chorus illustrates.
It is not American, of course, but it is
| familiar.
More English than the English them
selves, the Australian colonists hunt to the
| very last man of them. Their topsy-turvey
land has neither deer nor fox; neither grouse
nor partridge. They have neither baying
| hounds nor sonorous blare of horns, but
they do have the old English traditions
handed down through hunting generations.
The characteristic animal of Australia is
the kangaroo. He is like the fox in all that
makes him worth hunting. He is vermin
| when allowed to live, he has no use when
| dead, no more than Reynard; he is swift on
the hoof, he is full of strategy, he puts to
| the test the endurance of men and dogs and
horses. Therefore, is the kangaroo in high
| est favor with the Centaur race of English
men which is growing up beneath Southern
stars.
They have phrase which one will never
hear elsewhere. Roll up" is colonial
idiom for an invitation to all neighbors
within radius Of several hundred sparsely
settled miles to come together for q few
days pleasant meeting. Men and boys and
blackfellows ride out in the afternoon
score OF miles away and form line of
beaters as far as they can extend in open
order. During the night their dogs, well
trained to the sport, drive the wandering
kangaroo within the beaters' line.
AT daybreak the horsemen begin to drive
the great hoppers before them toward the
wide opening of the fences, the dogs oper-
ating between the riders and the best trained
of all covering the bare fanks. At first one
sees here and there blue or black animal
hopping out of sight among the trees or out
lined upon the edge of the plain. But as
the chase continues the kangaroos are more
numerous, the horses take the hunting fever
as they see before them a mad stampede.
The fences are reached, the stampede be-
comes living stream of terrified animals
crowded closer and closer op the ever mar
rowing way; at last they pour into the in-
closure painting and worn, they look about
them from their gentle eyes and see nothing
but the shouting mob of men who stand
upon the fences and club the beasts to
not that trap at its further goal; the end is
simple butchery.
AN OPEN CHASE.
The kangaroo can give better sport than
in the drive, a chase in which it has an even
chance for its lie, chase venturesome
enough to satisfy the most danger loving.
The timid animal shifts danger, takes alarm
and starts across country in long graceful
lp9n vuh al ln1n IraIo
and hounds follow on his track, no slight
barrier will cause the little leaper to swerve
from his path, few leaps can the chase make
in which the pursuer will not rival him.
Miles fly backward under hopping legs and
running legs alike until after a burst of Is
or 20 miles one begins to fail or the other.
1t is a fair chance.
None but Australian dogs and Australian
horses can enter the chase. There is not
another strain of horsehesh trained to jump
an almost invisible wire fence without kill
ing the rider. Brought to bay with its back
against tree the kangaroo has no longer
fear of dogs or men and often does deadly
work with the single steely claw which arms
each hind foot. 1t Is common to see dogs
ripped opened from breast to haunch and
fatal accidents to men and horses are by no
means of rare occurrence.
KICKS LIKE MAN.
Equal sport and equal danger are afforded
by the emu, great wlngless birds little
smaller than the ostrich and covered with
feathers Ike tags OF twlne. In speed there
IS little difference between emu and kanga-
roo and they are each armed with a single
sharp claw on each foot. There is this diff
ference, however: The kangaroo kicks like
a horse, the emu like man. The bird is
not such a coward; he will run until he
thinks that ne mas run far enough and then
he Will boldly attack ms pursuer. When
hunter is chased by Kicking emu he needs
q good morse anu gooo management to come
victorious out OF tne encounter. Dogs are
worse than useless, because an emeu will
seldom run from them, but shows fight at
once.
Upon the plans roam packs OF dogs which
are neither aogs nor wolves, but something
OF potn. iney nave not courage enough to
attack man nor cowardlce enough to shun
him. They are as wary as antelopes and it
calls TOR skill IN stalking to get within range,
but after the nrst shot the furious pack will
snarl ABOUT the hunter without ever once at
tempting 10 tear nln'' ana Inus ne can XIII
them all.
sPEARING THE LIZARD.
rho-o 10 GREAT and d;s,rs.s;nr1r r,,u
,oot;ns lizard tn he found an ~ h.rs
mains the ieuana or, as it is commoniv
apaIIad ,Lo s.9owonnon Thon1b iaras J.
is Iits ali srds devoid of vsnorn 40 ~
no nav has n disnosition corresnondina to
;ts nnnieasant eTterior. fnrtbernore IL
nossesses the ADVANTAGE Of beino excellent