Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-11
SPORT IN CUBA.
Wild Hogs and Other Game to Be
Found in Plenty.

The New York Herald today prints the
following: Cuba, the land of sunshine and
flowers, will be the hunters paradise Of the
future. In its wildernesses of underbrush
lurk game and birds and its streams and
lagoons TEEN with fish and alhgators. For
years only occasional hunters have gone
into the widest parts of the island. The
game has increased undisturbed. Wars and
strife have made many former prosp erous
plantations dismal ruins and the domestic
animals which were once sheltered on them
were turned loose to relapse into wildness
and breed still wilder offspring.
Deer and smaller game abound in the in
terror and along the innumerable creeks
that flow outward into the ocean on either
side. Railroads through the island are de-
stroying their hiding places. but it will be
several years before the last one has been
found by the hunter.
The most numerous Of the wild animals
in Cuba are peculiar to the island. They
are the wild hogs. In no other country of
the world do these roam the woods in such
numbers that hunting parties are organized
to go after them.
OF smaller game there is every variety
that is peculiar to the North American con-
tinent. Capt. John Weeks of Chicago rode
the length of Cuba on horseback. His party
carried no fresh meat. but lived entirely on
the game which fell before their rifles.
There never was a scarcity of meat, and it
was seldom necessary to vary from the
straight course across the island to forage
for supplies.
Large fish are not found far from the
coast. The creeks are too shallow and only
smaller fish and fresh water life are found
any considerable distance inland. But In
the mouths of the rivers and in the estua-
ries along the shore fish of all sizes abound.
A Cuban fish which Is not generally rec
ognized edible is the swordfish In
Cuban waters they grow to length of
three feet or more. When caught by senes
they raise havoc win the nets, tangling and
shredding the cords in a heartbreaking man
ner for the fisherman The usual method
Is to spear them. The waters of the island
creeks are clear as crystal. and the fishes,
with their long-pronged shouts, may be
clearly seen as they swim along on the bot
tom of the creeks
The sport par excellence in Cuba is fowl
Ing. All sorts of birds abound both on wa
ter and land. There are probably more
birds of valuable plumage in CUBA than in
any other country on either of the Ameri-
can continents. The most beautiful are the
hamingoes.
Like regiments of relocated grenadiers
they stand on the flats and sand bars on
the waterways. The famingoes are difficult
to approach. They stay in fiocks of from
100 to 500 and their instinct seems to teach
them sort of military organization. At
night there are sentinels standing at least
200 or 800 feet from the flock. While their
companions sleep these sentinels stay on
guard. AT the slightest sound Of ap
preaching hunter they raise a cry of alarm
and instantly the whole flock is up in the
air and away out of range of the hunters.
The Bel river is lined with birds of all
descriptions Cuckoos, herons and ducks
cry continuously from it's banks. The
cuckoo is snow white and part of Its
plumage sells at $50 per ounce in New York.
The blue heron is steel gray in color, and
the most easy of any of the fowl to capture.
In the beautiful Sabinol bay the man.
grove trees that hang over It's edge are
breaking down from the weight of the
cuckoo nests. In breeding time the old
birds hover over their young with tender
solicitude. They are never molested by the
Cuban hunter during this season. Ducks
are plentiful everywhere that there is water.
The Cuban duck is tough eating and is lean
and scrawny. 1t sWims the water almost
unmolested. The Florida duck is fat and
makes excellent eating. 1t is hunted at all
seasons of the year.