The Elbert County tribune., 1905-07-13
Dldck 4
Z adventure.
HUNTING WITH KITES.

gum Oe my ROUND the
DoD( southern half Of this lake
lies Laguna Province. A chain OF
mountains lies in large half circle
round this lake, thus shutting In this
sheet Of water almost completely.
Books OF natural history describe n
species of large bat, called fruit bats,
great big fellows. with body the size
of full grown cat, and wing mem
BraDes that measure from two to four
feet across. have seen some that
were more than Ave feet from tip to
tip Like all bats. they sleep during
the day in the dense forests in the
mountains, hundreds OF them hung up
in the treetops, where they are safe
from their enemies. Head down, with
wings closely folded to the body and
swaying with the wind. they look
something like the bobbins of wool that
feed the spinning machines In the fac
tories.
About half an hour or more before
the sun touches the western horizon
all these bats wake up. turn themselves
right side up with care. give few
flaps with their wings. and then
whIr!-away they go, hundreds in a
flock. They sail across forest and vale
straight as a shot to the fine groves
along the lake. where they feed all
night.
A curious thing about the bats Is that
they prefer n straight line, and If they
meet an obstacle will swerve only just
enough TO clear 1t. The Filipinos have
found this out, and also that the bats
are good TO eat. From this discovery
dates n most curious sport.
Long before sunset, in the village af-
ter which the lake is named, the
town Of Bay, a hundred or more men
and boys are out, both in the town it
self and on the open rlain all round it,
Each group of two or three has kite,
a tailless. Chinese pattern kite.
Everybody is full of expectation.
looking southwark for the bats to ar
rive. Suddenly some sharp-eyed young
ster spies them coming far to the
southwest. and sets up yell. Ere the
yell has died away tie advance of the
flock has come within range of the
floating kites.
The bats see in them nothing more
than strange kind of bird. Indeed. 1t
may be doubted II the bats in this
bright light see at all. If they do not
fly by smell and touch rather than by
sight, at any rate, once among the
kites. which have begun to sail in very
cratic curves, they just swerve little
when too close to one to its cord, and
go on.
By skillful jerking and twlrling of
the cord the men are able to give the
kite swooping motion. similar to that
of n hawks flight, and in addition guide
1T so as to swoop down upon one of the
bats.
But always the bats sweep just be-
yond the reach Of the kites, until sud-
denly one seems to be entangled with
something near the cord. A flutter or
two, violent downward movement of
the kite, torn along BY the bat, final
shake of the line, and like shot down
drops the bat, to be pounced upon by
some member Of the crew of that par
ticular kite. A blow with the club i'll
his hand. and the bat ceases to snap
and snarl. Surprised. we examine the
fellow, and find that the delicate mem
brane of its wings has been torn as If
with claws, making fight impossible.
Soon another bat is entangled with
kite, but instead of dropping, 1t is APP
parently caught by the cord. for when
the man handling this one pulls in ex-
citedly and brings the kite to earth. the
bat. despite some wild fiutters, comes
with it. We then see that hundreds of
small fish-hooks are attached to the
cord by means of fine strings of abaca
or Manila hemp. The bat was caught
on several of these hooks. In swery-
ing little to escape the kite or its
cord. it was swept right among the
hooks. Their fine thread was too small
to be noticed ere it was too late.
The bats are not beautiful, and the
strong. musky odor they exhale does
not add to their attractiveness; but
once prepared for the oven, they look
much like rabbits. and l am assured
by those who have eaten them thar
they taste exactly like that.-Paul L.
Strange, in Youths Companion.