The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-10
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most whimsical fashion The grasshop-
per was then quickly passed through the
sharp little teeth. the kicking legs being
held with both hands, When the insect
was beyond further mischief the large
eyes of the magou would open and the
legs and wings were then bitten Off. while
the rest of the body was thoroughly mas
ticated. My captives would also drink
fresh milk from a spoon. After the sun
had set this little animal became most
difficult to manage, escaping when posi-
BILE and making tremendous jumps from
chair to chair. When on the floor 1t
bounded about like miniature kangaroo,
travelling about the room on its hind legs
with the tail stretched out and curved
upward, utterlng peculiar shrill. monkey
like squeaks and biting quite viciously
when the opportunity offered This re-
markable mammal is found in the islands
of Samar and Leite probably in Minda-
mao. and perhaps in Bohol.
Common throughout the Philippines is a
still nearer relative of man, a long-taited
green monkey, which the natives call the
schongo" Chongo does not behave him
self as well as does Magou. In Northern
I.uzon he infests abe forests in the neigh
borhood of native plantations, especially
those of maize and sweet potatoes, and is
the cause of unlimited Tagalo profanity
In Samar the rice fields have to be care
fully guarded against his attacks. tie is
to be seen anywhere, from the cold noun
tain TONS 10 the seacoast. Some pure white
MONKEYS are also found in Mndanao.
DroII Dwarfs.
Another freak beast which viii excite
curiosity in our geological gardens is the
tamarau. dwarf buffalo found In the
forests of Mindoro OF the Philippine group.
| II is a stunted form of the old-world but-
falo. not of the American bison II some
times occurs high up in the mountains 1t
| tunnels pathways through the thick bam'
boo underground covering the mountain
sides above 5000 feet. Hunters must go
upon hands and knees to follow these
trails The aborigines never hunt this lit"
| tie beast being deathly afraid of Il.
The midget Philippine squirrel is an
| other odd creature. 1t Is about the size
of a mouse, has legs longer in proportion
than those of the ordinary squirrel, larger
| ewes and rounded ears. A large brown
rat, gray underneath and with squirrel
| like head and eyes but black, cord-like
| tail, is of still greater interest from an
evolutionary point of view. Il Is dscov-
cred to be the last link long needed TO
| compete the chain of relationship between
| the true rat and the water rats. A wild
| pig, dgnified by the name "sus celebensis
Philippinensis, is found throughout the
whole Philippine group. 1t Is exceedingly
| exclusive during the day. when II hides
| in the forests. but sallies gayly forth dur
| ing the night into the native maize and
rice fields, where 1t does much damage.
| The natives call this body beloved pig
| "babui."
The Philippines will also contribute a
giant fruit-eating bat. All American bats,
of course. subsist. entirely upon insects
and are provided with sharp teeth with
which to nip them. The fruit-eating bat
| 49, gs-Io 10 To, la. tI,nr, MT ha.
a long head and blunt teeth. 1t makes
| mighty inroads upon the banana planta-
| tons and other fruit preserves. During
| the day it sleeps hanging head downward
J from a tree.
The Mouse Deer.
In Bataan, of the Philippine group is
| found a chevretain, or mouse deer" a
| tiny little pigmy as cunning as fox, and
which when SHARED feigns death until freed
when it leaps up like lightning fash and
takes TO the forest, leaving the inexperi-
enced trapper in great surprise. The
| Philippines also contain civets, wildcats,
| porcupines. lizards, snakes and alligators
| The "chacon," one variety of alligator, is
priced by the natives affording immuu-
ity against death by earthquake shock.
Prof. Dean C. Worcester, lately appoint
| ed a member of the Philippine commits
| sion has submitted to the Smithsonian
1 an extensive report upon lHs nTnltnplO8Y
of those islands, where ne recently count
| ed no less than 256 different species of
| birds. Notable among these are some
| beautiful little parakeets, cockatoos, mound
| builders, hornbills and jungle-fowls. The
| last named are the principal game birds
of the group The natives tame the horn
| bills and keep them as pets. The only
| important food fishes of the fresh waters
| of the Philippines are species of catfshes
and carp
Fauna of Hawaii and Cuba.
DIR. Theodore N. Gill, the noted biolog-
list, to whom the writer is indebted for
| the greater part of this information, finds
| that the only animals peculiar TO Hawaii
| are unimportant, there being one bat and
few birds among them. The freak Of
the group is a naked, fiightless rail. The
| feathers from another bird were exclus-
| lively used in the manufacture of the ia
| nous Hawaiian war cloaks. There are
| in Hawaii no native fresh-water fishes
| although several salt water species have
| adapted themselves to the interior lakes
\ and streams. Isolation has been a bless
| ing to these islands In that it has pre-
vented the immigration Of any reptiles.
Cuba offers to the new collection an odd
| creature, known as the 'almqui." 1t is one
| of the rarest Of American mammals and
| is peculiar 10 Cuba atone. 1t is the largest
| insectivoTous animal of the new world.
| The length of its body is nearly a foot,
| of it's tail about seven and one-half inches.
| In general appearance Mr. AlmiquI strong
| ly resembles Br'er Postum, though he be-
/ longs to al entirely different order of
mammals. He lives in underground caves,
| and, like the interesting ''maguo," does his
| bug-huntng at night Cuba also offers
three native species of 'capromys," dis
family related to the gulnea-pigs In Cuba
are found native crocodiles, and kind of
| iguana, which DR.. Gill says. Is priced as
/ food by all who can catch ii. There are
also many brilliantly colored lizards OF the
same family as those enormously called
| "chameleons" There are quite number
| of Cuban snakes, but none of special inter
estsA almost all are perfectly harmless.
Blind Fishes.
| According TO DR.. Gill. Cuba is also re-
markable for two species of blind fishes,
1 distantly related to the cod family and
| otherwise represented only in deep sea
forms They have after many years, adapt