Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-02-01
oOeea WAYS or MEXICAN ANIMALS,
Deer That Lone, squirrel. That Live In
Holes and Rats In Trees.


Deer That Lone, Squirrels That Live In
Holes and Rats In Trees.
ST. ANTONIO, Mexico Dec. 2a.--wc
have been for the past week prennring for
tho journey to CullNcan, state Of sinaloa,
which involved much hunting aud fishing
In order 20 prepare tho necessary subsist,
oncc. The forests abound In deer. wild
hog, squirrels and rats. Tho door are
small and quito tame. THOR tails nro
from ~ TO is inches M length and white
as snow. III frightened, they curl their
tails up over thcir bael-,, as n to make
sure that you should not lose sight. Of
them, and lopo away; but, unlike tho
North American deer they arc liable to
stop short and turn round 10 500 N you
have taken the trouble TO fullowsthem.
They do not bound I've feet Into tho air
when startled and then take another kink
and then 10 UP ak fcct higher, as do the
deer to which tho carly settlers OF Ohio
were accustomed but lopo gracefully
away, making suro Of Il that should you
lose sight OF them the fault Is yours.
A native, perhaps not tho host author.
fly, assured us that Wis tongue did not
work ut random when ho said that no
person had ever eaten finer Favored meat
than that OF tho Mexican deer We expo.
rienood no difficulty In securing supply
OF yonlsop IN tho valley Of tho Ynqui but
ono day tho monotony of deer hunting
was broken by snort near by in thick
ct, which caused me TO halt and 90 face
tho left suddenly aud listen to the beating
Of my heart. The snort was caused by tho
forcing OF air through tho nose OF a beast
and was upon the Instant answered by
many similar suorts In various directions
near by ludlatinctly seeing black oh.
ject move, fred bullet into It. It was u
lucky shot Tho wild boar fell dead.
a moment later we wcrn aware Of hav.
Ing heon very imprudont, Had the hog
boon wounded instead Of Killed, tho other
bears would hOyo charged tho enemy, and
thctc would have boon no escape for him,
They nio armed with two pairs OF circular
tusks. about 3 inches In lonpth, that como
together, passing ut the ends, and 10 worn
by contact for tho distance Of an inch that
they cut like shears and nrc ns sharp IN n
knife, ThoirnycraRo weight is about 100
pounds Their bristlcs ara about ~
inches loug and black Their sense OF
smell, sight and hearing Is very iIuo
They can run almost us fast "a II deer
Their skin Is loose upon their bodies, like
that Of deer. THOR mode Of ntturk Is 60
cut with their shcarllku tusks rs they dash
past thon 60 whirl and come again
Squirrels nro abundant In these forests
They arc beautifully notified with white
and gray, and although strongly rcsom-
bling the grny squirrel IN tho United
States, thoy mover climb trees, hut hurrow
IN tho ground, seeming TO have exchanged
customs with tho Mexican rat, who ~ not
only an excellent climber but builds his
nest uf leaves high up In tho branches ol
tho trees from which ho can only hu dis.
lodged by fire, appearing tn regard his
nest ns the last resort and from which bo
departs not until ainPod, To irO him out
tho "mcohn" Il used, name given 10
nlnt and stool and cotton fuse aud india.
pcnsnhlo In the natives outfit. ThcsO rats
nrc very humorous, differing from the
United States city rat only In being q triilo
shorter, but having much larger Dyes.
Reptiles and insects ate numerous and
various a blnuk bug nm inch and u half
tall grown, II seems, for some special
purpose not nscertninod, has excited my
wonder nnd admiration. II Inns three pairs
Of legs, it, fore legs hcing short, itq
middle logs considerably longer and lts
hind legs 10 long that when u gets mp
TO travel lts body is at IN anglo u "a
degrees bend being downward It's tail
is armed with sharp spike why should
Il travel with its sponrliko tall Atnbbng
ut tho sky and It's llps trailing In tho dust
We nru suro that II Is not bocnuso II feels
humble, for when frightened u stands mp
on lts head and cuts fantastic figures with
its tail md heels
A worry notlyo snake, known as tho "rai
catcher thrlyos In McNicO. IL Is an OK.
port climber u trees, Is about q feet IN
length and ] y inchca IN diameter ut tho
largest part the tail tHpOrlng to a whip
| like point Small head, light rod neck
/ and belly and dark brown bhuk diatin'
/ Rulsh Il from Utmost any other serpent.
. IL ls not poisonous and feeds upon rats
and birds, Darling upon u rat, In an In
slant It's body cnoirolcs II md brushes il
by more process Of tight luning, when II
/ proceeds to swallow tho unlucky rat on
| bird, Hs tho cnso may be-, without chow
/ ing Then ~ is error 10 say that " smiles
but n moro plonsod expression Of oounte
nance il observed, indicating perfect snlls
/ faction, no It gracefully onoircles tree,
nBcunds TO an outstrctohcd limb, oNtondi
its body ut full length upon II and for q
| long tinp Ia forgotful, 10 Ia hoped, that II
is only rat catcher plttsburg Dis
patch.