The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-05-13
pHILIpPINns ANIMALS
Paradise for sportemcn Game
and Waterfowl.

] styled hunters paradise. for. al
though about the only sport now being
INDUCED in is that of hunting insnr-
gent bands, the islands of the Philip
pine archipelago are filed with game
animals and game birds swarm in the
forests and jungles. while the inland
waters. In many instances. are literal
ly covered with many varieties of wa
ter fowl.
For those who incline 70 hunting big
game there is the boar. fierce and
savage beast which runs wild among
he dense tropical jungles, where
cocoanuts and other tropical fruits
fford abundance Of food to sati-
Ite his appetite. All over the
wooded parts Of Luzon great numbers
of deer roam. being little troubled by
The natives. who are not much given
70 hunting and who have little craving
Tor meat diet During those days
wnen our army lay in Manila imme-
diately after its fall there were many
bunting excursions into the interior
and plenty Of big game was usually
bagged. Many Of the soldiers In the
English army corps, the volunteer
army Of occupation in Manila, have
aow 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 characterizes most animal
life on those islands, the wiry little
Filipino being about the only excep-
tion to the general rule.
While monkeys, which seem to be
more numerous tran most any other
wild animal to be found on the islands.
are not to be considered in the legiti-
mate class Of game, yet one can scarce
y resist the temptation to try a shot
at the leader of the great army of
these chattering creatures, which is
always present in the picturesque jun
les of Lnzon. Mindanao, Negros
'anay and the other islspds Coming
down to smaller game, the tagua or
guigas a kind of flying squirrel, seems
to be in every tree, and a rather odd, !
webbed foot furry animal it is he
native 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
masirea. 1t is a natural enemy of rats
and mice, but has no value to the
sportsman. Vampires and great bats
ait aimlessly past one in the stiffness
of these tropical woodlands, and par
rots and other tropical birds in their
brilliant plumage are ever present
wherevSf there is foliage in the land
everlasting summer
While game was plentiful everywhere
In the jungles in those days before
The Filipino insurrection opened there
was time, after the fighting in the
jungles about Manila began. that al
most all animal life disappeared before
The onslaught of our forces The
heavy firing. kept up night and day
for a time. drove the wild things back
into the mountains but as the lighting
.subsided they gradually yentured back
TO their favorite haunts along the
rivers and streams. and today one can
see plenty Of game within a dozen
miles of the capital; but as yet it is
not safe 10 venture even that distance
in search of sport for the insurgent
bands and the brigands never lose an
opportunity TO waylay an American
Who chances to be found outside TIE
military lines.
In the days before Dewey's guns
began their fusillade against the in
surgenr positions about Manila bay
thousands Of wild geese and ducks
could be seen daily. Along the Pc g
these fowls congregated in myriads
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 tlpol. a species OF
crane. which stands FIVE feet high /
probably the largest water fowl to be
found in the islands. was IN evidence
about the lake by the hundreds. There
we're great docks Of Wild geese and
swan. or the wild duck family there
seemed TO he every representative
present There were canvasbaclxs. NAL.
lards, redheads and ali the smaller
members Of the duck genus. There
we're some varieties never seen about
our Northern lakes. but none OF the
specimens bagged by sportsmen in this
lailfndn e,Anrne.i 10 he ahsanf Thnaa