The National tribune., 1900-08-23
HUNTING IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Small Game is Plentiful, but Sportsmen are
Deferred from Hunting by the Insurgents.


In and about Manila there are ducks
and snipe in plenty, ana during the rainy
season and the former part of coci months
that follow, the rice SwampS and sea
beach offer excellent sport. The snipe,
genuine old long-bill Jacks" just arrived
from their northern haunts in Liberia and
on the Thibctan plateau, find good feeding
now and then 4 stray woOdcock puts in his
appearance among them.
At the right seasons of the year n good
shot could bag 80 Jacks day without
passing beyond the city limits. Unfor-
tunately, however, shooting is forbidden
within the city limits, for the authorities
are i'll constant fear of another native up
rising, and forbid the sportsman to fire his
gun on the sea beach, and likewise the
children to shoot off their firecrackcrS eX-
cept on the Luneta on the 18th Of July.
Since the American occupation affairs
in the provinces have been in such unset
tied state that the lovers Of the rod and
gun in Manila have been unable to go
shooting. Several overly reckless persons,
anxious to bag Il few ducks, left BacClor
one cool afternoon and took stands nc;,r q
little marsh. Natives were sent into the
swamp to raise the birds. Several shots
We're fired, and one of the hunters rushed
forward to pick up black duck which he
had brought down with an ounce of No. I,
when suddenly the pop, pop. pop, of the
Mauser made it plain that the rebels were
out hunting also.
The sportsman, who was just about to
wiring the neck of his bird, suddenly ut
tered an ejaculation of pain, and fell face
foremost into the grass across the body OF
the black duck. Two of his friends has
tened to his side, STOPPING low to evade
the rebel bullets. which were Skmming
down over the waving rice of marsh Ike
"bluewings' with strong north wind at
their back. The bullet had touched vital
spot, and the sportsman expired before the
black duck had ceased to tluttcr. His
companions crawlcd away, keeping their
bodies concealed behind rice ridges until
they We're out of range of the rebel rifles,
when they rose to their feet and darted
for the American lines. Such is the ac-
count of the last hunting party that left
the barriO Of Bacolor. ~ To-
During the rainy season the rice fields
are inundated and by October the waters
have subsidized considerably. The rice, now
full grown, is ripening fast, and the dIcks
ind excellent feeding. Along the I.aguna
de Bay there are many bays, where the
ducks congrcgafe in great numbers, NAL
lard, teal. both blue and green wing, wild
geon, redhead, pintail and all of the vari-
Gus species common in the northwest ex-
cept the wood duck.
The native mode of hunting snpe and
duck is very simple, as well as economi-
cal. After dark they faSten q big torch
to the bow of Il ''banca." One man pad
dies while the other stands at the bow
with the handle of Il contrivance rescm-
bling landing net, only having much
longer handle, in his hand. Entering some
little creek running back into the fields
from river or lake. they proceed eau
tiously. The light blinds the duck and
snipe who are feeding among the rice, and
before they have time to take to the wing
one of their number has become hopelessly
cntanglcd in the folds of the net and is
soon consorting with others of his species
IN bamboo cage, standing in the stern of
the canoe. The natives never kill the
birds, as decomposition begins few hours
after death in the tropics. At the stalls
In the Manila markets will be found COW
cred wickercd baskets filled with snipe and
ducks of all species. When the purchase
is pointed out the dealer deftly ties their
legs together, and hands them to the China
boy, who does not decapitatc them until
1t is time to put them on the fire.
Although there are plenty of deer and
goats of peculiarly small stature in the
islands, it will be some time before it is
safe for white man to journey into the
interior wilds in search of them 1t will
not be long, however, before it will be
safe to hunt ducks and snipe along the
Laguna de Bay.