Evening star., 1898-09-10
PARADISE FOR SPORTSMEN
Wild Game and Fish of All Sorts Abound in
Cuba
Boar Hunting, Deer Driving and
Quail ShOotin&-Rnre sport
With Rod and Reel.

| John T. Hyatt jr., in Field ind Stream.
While Cuba offers such haven to the In
| valid. 1t is paradise for the sportsman.
wild game and fish of all kinds being
abundant.
Parties Of gentlemen on horseback, with
| their packs of hounds, hunt The feet-footed
deer. When they arrive in the locality
which the game frequent. the hunters.
with u.s. station themselves in the paths
where the deer are likely TO pass and the
| dogs are turned loose. 1t is common
| thing for d small party 10 kill eight ten
| deer in day. " hen night falls and the
men are through with The chase. surround
| ed by their trophies OF the days sport. they
spend the evening with pipes and tales at
the campfire, later to SWING their ham
nlockS lrom The neighoorlng bousns, and
Tree ifoin care anu troubles ana AMIDST the
moonlight ana shadows ana scent Oh lux
uflanl flowers, TO sleep that sleep when
gives health anu lie.
The Wild boar is plentiful, and sometimes
III cornered, dangerous, especially the
master OF The helu, called ''un solitario,
| which Will tear dog 10 pieces or make d
green hunter cIimD a tree, but a Cuoan
edslly Kills MN with d aachete. The isl
ana boar sometimes weight 2UO or :UU
pounds, and mas huge tusks, often five or
SIX inches in length The meat of the fe-
| male IS much rehshed by the natives. Wild
dogs and cats, wild cattle, horses and jack
10 cuba, which looks like a cross between
squirrel with rats tai ana a rabbit ana
"hicn nves in the trees and feeds Oh nuts
anu leaves, is the great delight of the Gu
BAN
fowls are in great numbers. Wild guinea
mems ana turkeys found In tocks of
from 20 TO 100 The whistle OF the quail
anu the nutter of the pheasant and perdiZ
are heard on all sides in the rural and
htouH uH'aih regions. Ducks in abundance
come over from Florida in the winter and
tt .sauih with the spring. Wild Pigeons with
lheir WnIte tops ana bodies of blue iarsar
somewhat than the domestic bird offer in
nulthg, the greatest sport to gentlemen
"ho VIII De restrained within reason In
- faa, is mornings the pigeons generally go
~ ecu on the mangle berries when ripe
ana Whlch grow by the sea or near SOM
s"dhpy place. L have known of marry of
it uiitse persons to Kill l,JoO of the pigeons
mithih within d lew hours Robiches. toiosas and
Suaharos are found in The thick woods
Mocklng and blue birds, orioles turnials
heSEtoS, parrots and a thousand kipd &C
eoo!igsters so! and birds of brilliant plumase
I'LL from tree to tee.
The waters about Crha at nicb, ..
~ phosPhorescent, are marvellous in tboir
transparency. Objects can be seen st =
uepth OIL ~ or 80 feet, and the endless Va
iiety Oh botanical and animal life in the
depths afford great pleasure for thosa ~
rove the realm of natures mysteyious Iora
brown hchen, great white coral trees klein
ana numberless shells, with fish whose
S'4Oi" SiiuIdtiHS the tlntS of urpn-
ioGs stones and the hues of the rainhow
uaftlns hlther and thither combine to form
most enchanting aquarium of nature.
lhe naturalist, Poey, says there are Gt1
dlsunct species of fish in the Cuban waters
Arcng those that delight the sportsman
are the red snapper, lista, manta' galIeeo
cueeia, surela and gar fish. The sierra
Wfich weighs from 40 to 60 pounds, is ex-
ftn ely game, as is the romeo so-callei
BECAUSE 1t snoreS when brought ont of
the water. For heavy sport fishing for
sharks, which are good for nothing. or
the gusa, which weighs from 400 to COO
pounds and is excellent eating offer album
daht exercise. 1t is a daily occurrence to
see school of fish, numbering from hun
dreds to many thousands. each fish weigh
ing from one to four pounds swimming
around the bays and harbors waiting Cor
a bait Any American VINO enjoys good
nshll!g can find his foudeSt dreams more
than satisfied in Cuba.
delicious shrimps, crabs and Holsters
oysters and clans abound. The Holsters
nave no claws and weigh from two 10
eight pounds They are caught at night in
shallow places along the sandy beach, a
olch, harpoon and net being the nee
essary outfit. Some of The rivers abound
in allfgators, but few hunt them.