The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-05
HUNTING THE CHINCHILLA

[F'rom the Chicago Times Herald1
Killing chinchilla with the aid of
dynamite is one of the lucrative pastimes
of the South American Indians 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 and muffs and for the trim
ming Of costly hats.
High in the mountains the nimble-
footed chinchilIa 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. Orig
inally the Indians used to use cactus
prOngS, which are long and sharp, 10
capture them in their holes by impaling
them on the end of this natural spear
This punctured the skin and impaired
it's value. The trappers tried to smoke
the chinchilla out by making great fires
near the entrance Of the burrows, but
the smoke, it was found, caused the skin
to turn yellow. which seriously depreci-
ated it's value. Now the more progress
sive Indians use dynamite.
After locating the chinchilla they
form netw Ork of grass and hardy
plants, which is placed around sthe hill
on the side of which the animal digs
its holes. dynamite cartridge, with
a time fuse attached, is then discharged
in the center of the net, which frightenS
the chinchilla so that they leave their
holes and scamper wildly to and fro
about the space inside the net. The IN
dams then dash into the arean with
clubs and kill them by striking them
over the head This is considered the
easiest and best method of killing them,
as it does not in any way damage the
skins, which vary in value from SO to
SIS 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 shrewd
commercial traders. may be imagined
Some of the tribe own ferrets, which
they use to good advantage. They pay
as much as IS for one The ferretS are
taken to the mountain tops and sent
through the burrows. chasing the chin
chilIa out into the open, where they are
dubbed to death with celebrity by the
waiting Indians. The skins are re-
moved Immediately and placed on
shrubs to dry The evening meal of the
the slain rodents, the meat of which is
white and tender. The hearts of the
latter are given to the ferrets-
A great part of the trapping is done
at night, the ohinchilla seldom being
visible in the daytime. The nights are
cool and clear. and there being but little
vegetation at the height where the chin
chilla are caught. the mountains are for
a long period each month Illuminated by
the rays of the moon, enabling the IN
dams to move about with great agility
for their prey. The ehinchilla lives prin-
cipally on herbs. and often when it
comes out to feed is trapped by the In
dams.
Four times a year the tribes descend
INTO the Senl1-c1NlllZeO villages dl Inc
base of the mountains with their skins
There they are met by the various
agents Of the European fur houses. One
American house has its representa- tive
there, too The occasion Of the Indians
arrival is usually made a religious fes-
tival.
George Herzig. the only American
agent there, says he paid one tribe OF
thirty Indians for the firm by whom he
is employed as much as $50. 000-in ma
tive money. which is equivalent to $780,
600 in American money-last year for
skins. This the Indians converted prin-
cipalIy into mule and llama stock by
which they estimate their wealth