Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-02-20
WILD GAME IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Animals and Birds Swarm in Forest
and JunQle.

and Jungle.
In many ways our new possessions
| in the Orient are we'll entitled TO be
styled a hunters paradise, for al
though about the only sport now in
dulged in is that of hunting iusurgent
bands, the islands of the Philippine
archipelago are filled with game an
imals and game birds swarm IN the
forests and jungles, while the inland
waters in many instances are literally
covered with many varieties of water
fowls For those who incline to hunt
ing big game, there is the boar, a
fierce and savage beast, which runs
wild among the dense tropical iungles,
where cOcoanuts and other tropical
fruits afford abundance OF food to
satiate his CarnivOrOus appetite. All
over the wooded parts of Luzon great
numbers of deer roam, being little
troubled by the natives, who are not
much given to hunting, and who have
little craving for a meat diet. During
those days when our army lay in
Manila, Immediately after its fall,
there were many hunting excursions
into the interior, and plenty of big
game was usually bagged. Many OF
the soldiers of the Sth army corps, the
volunteer. army of occupation in Man
liza, have now in their possession fine
antlers secured on these hunting
trips, and fine specimens they are for
the Philippine antler is possessed OF
the same liberal growth that charac-
terizes most animal life on these isl
ands, the wiry little Filipino being
about the only exception to this gen
eral rule.
| While monkeys, which seem to be
more numerous than most any other
! wild animal to be found on the islands,
are not to be considered in the legit-
innate class of game, yet one can
scarcely resist the temtation to try
shot at the leader of the great army of
these chattering creatures, which is
always in the picturesque jungles of
| LuzOn, Mindanao, Negros, Panay and
. the other islands. Coming down to
smaller game, the tagua or guigus,
every tree, and a rather odd webbed-
foot furry animal it is. The natives
make pets of this queer squirrel, and
one can see hundreds displayed in
cages about Manila. Another little
animal which attracts ones attention
in the Philippine jungles is the mas
igen. 1t is natural enemy OF rats
and mice, but has no value to the
sportsman Vampires and great bats
fit aimlessiy past one in the stiffness
Of these tropical woodlands, and par
rots and other tropical birds in their
brilliant plumage are ever present
wherever there is foliage in the land
of everlasting summer.
While game was PLENTIFUL every
where in the jUngles in those Jays be-
fore the Filipino instruction opened
there was a time, after the fighting in
the iungles about Manila began, that
almost all animal life disappeared be-
fore the onslaught of our forces. The
heavy firing kept up night ard day,
and for a time drove the wild things
back into the mountains, but as the
fighting subsidized they gradually ven
tured back to their favorite haunts
along the rivers and streams, and to-
day one can see plenty of game within
a dozen miles of the capital; but as
yet it is not safe to venture even that
distance in quest of sport, for the in
surgent bands and the brigandG never
| lose an opportunity to waylay an
| American who chances to be found
outside the military lines.
| In the days before Dewey's guns be-
gan their fusillade against the in
! surgent positions about Manila bay,
| thousands of wild geese and wild
| ducks could be seen daily. Along the
Pasig these fowls congregated in myr-
| lads; and about Laguna de Bal, the
| largest lake on Luzon, located some Is
miles up the Pasig from Manila, the
water at times was black with many
varieties of water fowl. The tipol,
] species of crane which stands five feet