The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-03-15
The Wild Game Of Cuba.

sportsman, wild game and fish Of all
kinds being abundant.
Parties Of men on horseback, with
their packs Of hounds, hunt the feet
footed deer. When they arrive in the
locality which the game frequent, the
hunters, as with US, station them
selves in thezpaths where the deer are
likely to pass and the dogs are turned
loose. 1t is common thing for a
small party to XIII eight or ten deer in
a day. When night falls and the men
are through with the chase, surrounds
ed by their trophies of the days sport,
they spend the evening with pipes
and tales at the campfire, later to
swing their hammocks from the neigh
boring bougbs, and, free from care
and troubles and amidst the moonlight
and shadows and scent Of luxuriant
flowers, to sleep that sleep that gives
health and life.
The wild boar is plentiful, and some
times. if cornered, dangerous, especial
ly the old master Of the herd, called
'un solitario. which will tear dog
to pieces or make green hunter climb
tree, but the Cuban easily kills him
with a machete. The island boar
sometimes weighs 200 or 300 pounds,
and has huge tusks, often FIVE or six
inches in length. The meat Of the
female is much relished by the ma
tives. Wild dogs and cats, wild cat
tie, horses and jackasses abound. But
the jutia, peculiar only to Cuba. which
looks like cross between a squirrel
with a rats tail and rabbit, and
which lives in the trees and feeds on
nuts and leaves, is the great delight
Of the Cuban.
Fowls are in great numbers. Wild
guinea hens and turkeys are found in
focks of from 25 to 100. The whistle
of the quail and the futter Of the
pheasant and perdiz are heard on all
sides in the rural and mountain re-
gions. Ducks in abundance come
over from Florida in the winter and
1
return with the spring. Wild pigeons,
with their white tops and bodies of
blue, larger sometimes than the do
mestic bird, offer. in hunting, the
greatest sport to men who will be re-
strained within reason. In the early
mornings the pigeons generally go to
feed on the mangle berries when ripe,
and which grow by the sea or near
some swamp place. I have known OF
a party of three persons to kill loo
of the pigeons within few hours.
Robiches, tojosas and guanaros are
found in the thick woods. Mocking
and blue birds, orioles, turpials, negri-
tos, parrots and a thousand of song
sters and birds Of brilliant plumage
fit from tree to tree.
The waters about Cuba, at night
strangely phosphorescent, are marvel
lous in their transparency. Objects
can be seen in depth of eighty or
ninety feet and the endless variety of
botanical and animal life in the depths
afford great pleasure for those who
love the realm Of natures mysterious
lore. Brown lichen, great white coral
trees, and the numberless shells, with
fish whose bright colors emulating the
tints of precious stones and the hues
of the rainbow, darting hither and
thither, combine to form Il most en-
chanting aquarium of nature.
The naturalist, Poey, says there arc
GIL distinct species Of fish in the
Cuban waters. Among those that de-
light the sportsman are the rcd snap
per, lista, manta, gallcgo, cobcra, su-
rela and gar fish The sierr, which
weigh from forty to sixty pounds, is
extremely game, as is the romeo, So
called because it snores when brought
out Of she water. For heavy sport,
Fishing for sharks, which are good for
nothing, or the gusa, which weighs
from 400 to 600 pounds. and is excel
lent eating. offer abundant exercise.
1t is daily occurrence to see schools
of fish, numbering from hundreds to
many thousands, each fish weighing
from one to four pounds, swimming
around the bays and harbors waiting
for bait. Any American who enjoys
good fishing can find his fondest drearls
more than satisfied in Cuba.
Delicious shrimps. crabs, and lob
sters, oysters and clans abound. The
Holsters have no claws and weigh
from two to eight pounds. They are
caught at nightin shallow places along
the sandy beach, a torch, harpoon and
net being the necessary outfit. Some