Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-04-17
A Weekly Letter From the Orient
FURNISHED BY THE RECORDER sSPaC-
IAL CORRESPONDENT, WHO Is
MAKING A TOUR OF THE EAST
ERN COUNTRIES.
Especial to Rec. rder.)

Especial to Rec, rder.)
Manila, P t., In the interesting
! variety of fora and fauna, the
! Philippines display the fact that
they are Of volcanic origin. In the
Bepguet mountain regions OF the
island of Lnzon is found cross
billed bird. the only adapted to
fed on the seed OF the liLe found
here. This bird, belonging to the
mperate zone, was evidently driv-
ell south by glacial changes in re
mote ages, it left the tropical low
lands for the more congenial
mountains. There are 284 genera.
embracing COL species identified
Lirds on the islands, the number of
species being about the same as IN
the United States, although the
number of birds is small Many
species are limited to single isIa8ds,
and IN some instances to single
mountains, and 80 far as known
exist no where else in the verdi.
Two indigenous species Of deer
occur, one-a large gray ish, thick
bodied animal, which abounds in
millions-is found in the forests
and less inhabited open places.
Tie tiny mouse deer and japanese
deer abound in some places. The
mouse deer is about as largi as an
Italian greyhound, AMI is a most
beautiful animal. Horse and lIdi-
an water buffalo, the caraboo, have
become wild. Monkeys are found
all over the island by thousands.
Other large game are jungle fowl
and wild boars, both of which
breed freely with domestic varie
ties. On Mipdora island is found
the timaru, or jungle buffalo, an
exceedingly wild and fierce animal,
which affords much sport in hunt
ing, and which frequently hunts
the hunters. Pigeons, OF which
there are fortv-two species,= some
of (which exceed in size the ordina
nv chicken, are found in great
numbers. Predatory animals are
limited to a small wild cat, the boa
constructor and the crokodlle.
Fresh and salt water fish are in nu-
merods variety and the fishing in
dustry is one of the greatest on the
islands.
A feature Of the islands is the
vast forests which contain valuable
hardwood, embracing ebony, ma.
hoganies and other cabinet woods,
besides n large number unknown
in the United States. 1t is esti-
mated that two thirds of the archi-
pelago are covered with these for.
ests, the value of which is estimated
at more than S2.0O0,000,000 There
is little commercial use of the tim
Der, and it is said that the amount
cut, and turned into lumber does
not exceed one per cent of the
amouLt which annually goes to
waste through natural causes.
With the development of inter
nal means of transportation, since
American occupation, there Is in
creased interest in the lumber III
dustry. and when Il contemplated
railroads into the center Of the is
lands are completed, this vast
amount of timber will find its way
to market. On the islands that
are denselv populated there is little
timber, but on some of the islands
nearly all the land is covered with
forests that will some day supply
The world with the finest timber
that is found on he globe.
Several companies have been
formed to exploit the timber re-
sources Of the islands, but with
modern means of converting the
trees into lumber unavailable,
those companies will content them
selves with taking up large areas
of the forests and waiting the day
when the railways are completed.
so they can haul their mills
through the dense underground to
the places where they can cut the
tim Der and get it to market.
Several beautiful woods that are
found in these forests are of poi
soncus variety, and those who
work up the lumber are afflicted
with sores, and in some instances