The Opelousas courier., 1900-03-17
THE PHILIPPINE FAUNA.
SPECIMENS OF BEASTS AND BIRDS
cRAvED BY OUR MUSEUMS.

AAese ANtfnal3 Afe Like.
Harry A. Armstrong, the CORE
spondent of the Chicago Record, writes
as follows from Manila +:
On the desk of the acknowledgement
in the palace there lies D pamphlet
from the Smithsonian Institution,
telling what specimens of animals are
wanted from the Philippines. In the
first place, a "tamarau' is wanted.
Now, the ''tamarau" is an exceedingly
wary and very wild animal of the buffa-
10 order. It'll smaller han the cardiac
and fiercer in a fight. 1t lives in the
island OF Mlndoro and hides in the
iungles and swamps. Just at present
there are very few persons gathering
specimens from that particular island.
For that matter, there are not many
specimen-hunters anywhere in these
parts.
Another specimen wanted is the
tarsier monkey. That little beast has
rings around his eyes that remind one
of spectacle His tail is longer and
his head is larger than those of the
average monkey. This institution
also asks that it be given several
species OF deer, the 'babul, or wild
hog, monkeys of two species. a small
cat, two species of the civet cat or
tmusang,' fruit-eating bats of different
species, several peculiar large rats, the
'colugo' or flying lemur, and the very
remarkable and interesting tarsier, or
'magou.'" In the bird line it speaks
of the famingo, the parrot, eagles and
hornbills, cockatoos and parakeets,
pheasants and pigeons, pelicans and
cuckoos. There are several more
that will be accepted, but these are
some of the specimens especially
wanted.
Coming back 10 the ''tamarau," it
will be extremely difficult for the in
stitution to get a specimen that has
not first gone through the hands of
the taxidermist. 1t is of record that
if the savage little animal is trapped
it will commit suicide rather than
submit to captivity. This it will do
either by bea ing out it's life against
the prison bars OF by the slower pro-
cess of starving itself to death. And
there is little hope for the young.
They, too, refuse to take nourish-
ment, even when put in the tender
mercies of q tame buffalo COW, and die
in q short time. AS a consequence,
these animals are represented by their
| hides in the museums and by tales Of
adventure of the hunters. They some
times fight each other like the deer
OF North America, but they oftener
fight the larger buffalo. When they
do they generally kill the buffalo.
The buffalo or carabao is also
wanted. It will be an easy matter to
get that animal.
It can be kept alive, but it will need
its bath of mud twice every day. All
buffalos are not tame, however, and
the sport of hunting them is a .ittle
less than that of hunting elephants.
A buffalo is trained to stalk its fell
lows. Behind the unwieldy beasts
slip along the hunters armed with
bolos. When at the right distance
the hunter slips from behind his blind
or decoy and delivers two blows in the
hips of his victim. If the blows are
well aimed the hunter has sham
strung" his victim. If not he is killed
before he can get away. The old
buffalo, too, is a fighter, and he will
lock his spreading horns with his
tanned brother promptly at the first
sight. The young are not so wise.
| and they are captured and tanned. The
native understands the nature of the
brute, and he takes it in hand when
1t resembles a Jersey calf in size and
and awkwardness. It takes some
six years before the buffalo is strong
enough to do the family blowing, but
| in that six years he has learned that
| there is nothing but kindness for him,
that he will be fed and regularly led
| to the wallow. He comes to know
| each member of the family and car
ries the children around on his back
with much pleasure. Even at the
age of six he is not enduring. He
will pull all that is put behind him or
break something. That is his nature.
| Sometimes he sprains q leg and then
he is put on the retired list for about
d year. III he should break his leg he
is immediately killed and carved up
into steaks, of which he does not
make the best Should all go well,
however, he is good for six years
hard work and six years OF
lighter work, and then he is driven to
the slaughter-house. The carabao ID
one of the slowest animals that ever
tried to move. For this reason the
sanitary department of Manila has
supplanted him with the brisker bull.
lock of the east.
The cat of the Philippines ID want
ed by the museum authorities. It viii
be easy to procure, as there are plenty
of cats to spare in every municipality
and barrio in this part of the archi.
pelago. The cats, the real thorough
breds, have a little hook at the end oil
their tails and cannot straighten them
out V when they run up q tree ont
of the way of a dog. There are wild,
cats In the islands, and they are about
the only wild animals the natives fear.
Wonderful stories Of jungle and hill
are told in which the wild cat plays
the part of the %aggressor. They arr
OF the tiger nature, living on thu
flesh of other animals and getting j
in the way nature has taught them.
There are many birds, though few
songsters. 1t has been told how tn
martin was imported into this coun
fry and roTallY received by the Span