The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-03-08
ANIMALS WE HAVE ANNEXED.
I1lc Strange I+';,lna Of .\lnericuS = ew
Islands.
washington u Skp'.

low tncSC trails. ne aDOrlgIUcS never
hunt this little beast, being dcathly
afraid Of it,
The midget Philippine squirrel is
another odd creature 1t is about the
size Of a mouse. has legs longer in
proportion than those Of the ordinary
squirrel. larger eyes and rounded ears.
y large brown rat, gray underneath
and with suuirrcl-likc head and eyes,
but black, cord like tail is Of still
greater interest from an evolutionary
point Of view. 1t is discovered to be
the last link long needed TO complete
the chain Of relationship between the
true rat and the water rats. a wild
pig, digniiicd by the name "sus cclc
bcnsis Phiippincnsis, is found
throughout the whole Philippine
group. 1t is exceedingly exclusive
during the day, when it hides in the
forests, but salics gayly forth during
the night into the native maize and
rice fields, where it does much dam
age. The natives call this badly be-
loved pig "babui.'
The Philippines will also contribute
Il giant fruit-catug bat All !Amcri-
can bats, of course, subsist entirely
upon insects, and are provided with
sharp teeth with which to nip them.
The fruit-cating bat Of these islands
is larger than rat, has long head
and blunt teeth. 1t makes nightly in
roads upon the banana plantations
and other fruit preserves. During the
day it sleeps hanging head downward
from tree.
TIE MOUSE DEER.
In Bataan, Of the Philippine group,
is found chevrctain, or mouse deer, =
q tiny little pigmy as cunning as q
fox, and which when shared feigns
death until freed, when it leaps up
like lightning fash and takes to the
forest, leaving the inexperienced trap
per in great surprise. The Philip
pines also contain civcts, wildcats,
rorcupincs, lizards, snakes and alliga-
tors. The ''chacon,' one variety of
alligator, is priced by the natives as
aiording immunity against death by
earthquake shock
Prof. Dean {. Worcester, lately ap-
pointed member Of the Philippine
commission, has submitted to the
Smithsonian an extensive report upon
the ornithology Of these islands,
where he recently counted no less
than 256 different species of birds.
Notable among these are some beauti-
full little psrakeets, cockatoos, mound
builders, hornbills and junglc-fowls.
The last named are the principal game
birds Of the group. The natives tame
the hornbills and keep them as pets
The only important food fishes Of the
fresh waters Of the Philippines are
species of catiishcs and carps.
FAUNA or HAWAII AND CUBA
DR.. Theodore y. Gill, the noted
biologist. to whom the writer is in
dcbtcd for the greater part Of this in
formation, finds that the only animals
peculiar to Hawaii are unimportant
there being one bat and few birds
among them. Tic freak of the group
Is Il naked tightlcss rail. The feathers
from another bird were exclusively
used in the manufacture Of the famous
Hawaiian war cioakS. There are in
| Hawaii no native fresh water fishes,
although several sal, water species
have adapted themselves to the IN
terror lakes aud streams. isolation
has been blessing to these islands in
that it has prevented the immigration
Of any reptiles.
Cuba offers to the new collection an
odd creature. known as the 'almiqui.
1t is one of the rarcst of American
mammals and is peculiar to Cuba
alone. 1t is the largest inscctivorous
animal Of the New World The length
Of its body is nearly foot, of it's tail
about seven and onc-h half inches. In
general appearance Mr.. Almiqui
strongly resembles Isrcr Possum,
though he belongs to an entirely diff
fercnt order Of mammals. He lives
in underground caves, and, like the
interesting "magou,' does his bug
hunting at night Cuba also offers
three native species of "capromys,
distantly related to the guinea pigs.
In Cuba are found native crocodilcs,
and kind of iguana, which, DR.. Gill
says, is priced as food by all who can
catch it. There are also many bril-
liant colorcd lizards of the same family
as those enormously called "chame-