The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1900-03-09
HUNTING
South American Use Dyna-
mite to Capture y he, <Sal-~ i
liable Animals.

dynamite is one of the lucrative pas
which enriches the commerce of the
world very considerably. This season
more than ever before chinchilla has
been the fashionable fur used in the
manufacture of cloaks, mutfs and for
the trimming of costly hats.
High in the mountains the nimble-
footed chinchilla are caught and killed
by half savage Indians. Tact and skill
are needed to allure the cautious little
animal from its hole in the earth.
Originally the Indians used to use cac.
tus prongs. which are long and sharp,
to capture them in their holes by inn
paling them on the end of this natural
formed spear, This punctured the
skin and impaired its value. The trap
pers tried to smoke the chinchilla out
by making great fires near the en-
trance of the burrows, but the smoke,
it was found. caused the skin to turn
yellow, which seriously deprecated
their value. Now the more progress.
sive Indians use dynamite.
After locating the chinchilla they
form a network Of grass and ha4uSA
plants, which IS placed around the hill
on the side Of which the animal digs
its holes. \ dynamite cartridge. with
a time fuse attached IS then dis
charged in the enter of the net, which
frightens the chinchilIa so that they
leave their holes and scamper wildly
to and fro about the space inside the
net. The Indians then dash into the
arena with clubs and kill them by
striking them over the head. This is
considered the easiest and best meth.
cd Of killing them. as it does not in
any way damage the skins. which vary
IN value from three to fifteen dollars
each. When it is considered that as
many as 100 animals are killed in
one sortie of this character the value
of the skins to the Indians. who are
shre"d commercial traders. may be
imagined.
Some of the tribe own ~ferrets, which
they use to good advantage. They nav
as much as $50 for one. The ferrets
are taken to the mountain tons and
sent through the furro~s, chasing the
chlnchlIIa out into The open. where
they are dubbed to death with celer-
lty by the waiting lhdians. The skins
are removed Immediately end placed
on shrubs to dry. The evening meal
OF the trappers often consists of the
bodies of the slain rodents. the meat
OF which is white and tender. The
of the latter are given to the
icrrcts as a requital for.their work.
a great part of the trapping ia done. -
al night. the chinchiIla seldom hpina
visible in the daytime. The niphh nre
"ooi and clear, and there being\but
'IttIe vegetation at the height where
the chlnchi!la are caught. the noun.
ANS are for a long period each month
Illuminated by the rays of the moon.
enabling the Indians to move about
with great agility for .heir prey. The
'h'nchlIla lives principally on herbs.
often when they come out to feed
ire trapped by the Indians.
four times a year the tribes descend
mo the Semi-civiliAed villages at the
>ase OF the mountains with their
'klns. There they are met by rho.
gents of the various Europeon f,,r
'o"seS. One American house has its
representative there, tao. The occa.
ION Of the Indians arrival is usually
made a religious festival.
george ifer2ig, the only American
gent there, who is now in the CITY
ayS he paid one tribe of 30 Indians
az the firm by whom he is emploved
> huch as SSO,OoD-in native money.
men is equivalent to 100000 in Amer.
IAN m~ohey-laSt year for skins. This
ne 'hulans converted principally into
'uie and llama stocks, by which they
their wealth.
The skins are transported TO this
~ i'll steell-lined cases.-N. Y. usr.Ld
Killed with Whole SKI,
lou may have your bones broken
our h'art smashed to a pulp and
rohg 'endons torn, while the skin 70.
aims quite uninjured. This is done
y large missiles. In the DAYS Of tho
'uhd cannon ball it was very common,
10 even now n large. smooth fragment
shell may knock Il man over. breaL
5 leg and pass on withou, leaving ,hp
haiiest mark on the skin. When a
ell slldes along over the heart. liver.
omach or any other internal organ
bruises and tears it, causing instant Y
attn but the most powerful micro. \
ope would not reveal 4 trace of dam.
e to the skin = T,,J,. fu@r A. |