The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-09
THE JiP iND mrs SPORTS.
Big Game Plentiful, but Natives Dislike
Foreign Hunters.

! An English 5pO'ta VINO has been all
through japan on hunting tip and who
has just u-ned gives a detailed account
Of that empire from a sporting point OF
view. Hunting such as the people OF the
British Isles understand Is a thing totally
unknown in the land Of the Mikado Foxes
deer and hires are plentiful enough. but
to hunt them Il another matter, as the
farmers and their methods OF agriculture
are uncompromisingl against il. or game
for the rifle Japan possesses a respectable
number, among them being three species
Of bears. the wolf a species Of stag another
Of antelope and the wild boar. All are.
I however, scarce, and getting scarcer yearly.
80 an expensive preparation would not
pay to go in search OF them. for though
the Aino, that extremely hairy aborigine
OF Japan hunts them all most assiduously
he will render no assistance 10 a stranger
| Continuing the account in the Field this
same writer says:
The Japanese hunter il the most pitiful
/ OF shikaris. And then again the slightest
deviation by a foreigner on the beaten
! tracks OF travel is likely to lead 20 unpleas-
antness, for suspicion OF foreigners il one
/ OF the worst traits in the japanese char
/ acter. Not being sportsmen or travellers
! in the same sense as the English speaking
! people, they cannot understand why any
one should spend his time In the pursuit Of
/ objects which bring no tangible result.
! To revert, however. 20 the wild game Of
japan, it Is pity that matters are as
described, for the bears OF the land are
unique, one species being OF enormous
size, strength and fierceness while there is
another directly the opposite. The first
is huge carnivorous brute a sort Of griz-
Fly, which is frequently seen to kill and carry
on a fourteen hand pony, Next TO him
comes black beast very much like the
sloth bear Of India, and last Of all diminu-
tive little fellow scarce larger than a good
sized spaniel, exceedingly shy and seldom
seen. Wolves are scarce in Japan and are
a cowardly sort and only 20 be found in
the northern part Of the empire. The stag
is about the size Of the fallow deer Of Eng
land and Scotland and Of the same shape
and habits.
The little japanese antelope must be a
very near relative indeed Of the jungle
baku Of India, possessing the same general
appearance and habits. The wild pig Of
Japan appears to be really nothing more
than domestic pig run wild: indeed, /
have seen herds OF Manchurian and Mon
golian swine, great, black, hairy beasts
driven through the streets OF Pekin OF a
far wilder and fiercer breed than any wild
pig I've come across in japan. The boars
are Of a fair size but never so tall on the
legs nor with such fine tusks as the jungly
soOdr Of India. To ride one Of them down
would he an impossibility, for IL would
he the case in hunting which the natives
are against, as already mentioned
Seals and sea offers offer no end Of fine fun
in japan, 20 really keen sportsman But
then the hunter must own a yacht-say a
schooner Of 90 or 10 tons, and he must be
prepared to live on il for weeks and months
at n stretch. as we'll as several other in
conveniences. Unlike sealing. sea otter
hunting or shooting affords a considerable
amount Of real sport. and the danger at
tending II adds no mean amount Of zest
20 il. for, while sealing operations are carried
out in midooean, the sea otter has 20 be
searched for close inshore, and as he dearly
loves a rock bound coast the hunters boat
as the Asiatic side Of the Pacific ia con-
cened, il among the X II lies and along
the coasts Of Saghalien and Kamchatka-
places where the tide rips have to be seen
to be appreciated For these tide rips
and the extraordinary commotion they
create in the waters the hunters have to
keep a sharp lookout, for a boat caught in
one OF them Is SUN TO get swamped and
the hunters chance OF pc from watery
grave is small indeed.
luNlb uAF lHO UltAIOnr OF hunting the
sea otter, which is a remarkaby wa
brute and about six tim = as large a. the
land otter. The first method is for three
hunters 20 work together. one following the
other az a distance Of half a mile or so, keep |
ing close TO the shore either sailing or
sculling along parallel TO it, but the third |
well out from the first two. Upon Citing |
their quarry the hunters endeaVor TO cut I
him on from the shore ana away from any
rocks that might afford him shelter. Keep I
inc HNNl
every time he shows his snout above .
water and as the bullets whistle near m /
he dives again and again His frst dives ,
are generally long and in the direction Of 4
the shore, but az he gets winded the dives |
shorter and more eTTatic and then the 4
hunters close in on him and hustle him about I
until he can be knocked on the head or shot .
without fear Of damaging the skin, for
sea offers pelt H. one Of the most valuable /
OF iurs. Somettmes however. hunter
viii take up his position upon rock
and lie in wait for the otter 10 come with
in range Of his rife, but h. will pursue tn 50
tactics only when he knows there Ia good .
feeding ground in the neighborhood. Even
then, with the firm ground under him,
he must be a quick shot 20 bag his
otter, for while swimming about and on
the move the brute affords but . very
small and dificult target.
Sealing n Japanese waters amounts
20 little, but the natives, with their low
NNhAANeAh VI llNihki ulN lAAhhh hhk w
Il pay. But even for them the day cannot
be far distant when IL will be completely
done Tor as paying venture, and IN the
mtereste Of humanity the quicker the day
comes the better. The seals are, II may
be added, always shot with small sired
buckshot, and generally 40 when lying
asleep on the surface Of the water. Thoee,
however, that were killed in rookeries
we're rounded up and dubbed TO death.
Hawking L. pursued occasionally. In
Japan. but principally by the Ssmurai, or
gentlemen Of old Japan. a number Of whom
still keep hawks. One Of these Samurai
vas friend Of mine and went IN largely
Tor rockWork in his garden, where he kept
magnificent specimen OF a fsh hawk,
or osprey, fettered to a huge boulder Of
granite projecting over the ornamental
waters. When tame carp or tort oise
vas driven past the bsse Of the rock the
'ffoot on the bird was really superb. She
'eoame fercely excited, and the old
nan, who was an artist, watched every
movement and instantly tried 20 transfer
he eject 10 the japanese equivalent for
'nnN 3. The result was that my old friend's