FISHING AND SHOOTING IN MEXICO.* 



Although game is found in the entire 

 section traversed by the Mexican Cen- 

 tral Railway, the local conditions are 

 such that certain points offer greater 

 advantages to the hunter than others. 

 The Stations of Yurecuaro, La Barca 

 and Ocotlan, on the Guadalajara Divis- 

 ion, are immediately contiguous to 

 marshes which are threaded by small 

 streams. These marshes are the winter 

 resort of every class of wild fowl in the 

 greatest abundance. There is proba- 

 bly no place on the American continent 

 where, during the months of December 

 and January, such an immense number 

 of aquatic birds of every variety con- 

 gregate. This region is known in gen- 

 eral terms as the Lake Chapala District. 

 Pelicans, swans, geese, brant, ducks of 

 every variety, snipe, curlew, plover and 

 sand hill cranes are found by the mil- 

 lions and are very tame. Guides and 

 canoes are easily obtainable, and at very 

 low cost. The guides, however, speak 

 only the Spanish language. 



The more interesting way of hunting 

 is by stalking the ducks and geese from 

 a canoe, as the high rushes make it easy 

 to approach the feeding birds, and their 

 tameness and abundance permit of a 

 very large number of birds being 

 stalked in the course of a day. 



Point shooting, such as is practiced 

 on the shores of Chesapeake Bay, can 

 also be practiced here, but it is more ex- 

 pensive, as, in order to make the ducks 

 fly over the points, it is necessary to 

 scare them by having natives fire little 

 sky rockets at the flocks to make them 

 fly. 



At Villar, on the Tampico Branch, 

 east of San Luis Potosi, and also in the 

 vicinity of Jimulco, on our Main Line, 

 there is good deer hunting The re- 



marks as to securing guides in the Lake 

 Chapala District, also apply here. 



South of San Bartolo, on the Tam- 

 pico Branch, about twenty miles distant 

 from the track, there are some quite 

 extensive swamps formed by the water 

 from large springs. In these swamps, 

 in the winter season, there are also 

 large numbers of aquatic birds. To 

 the south of the swamps are mountains 

 in which deer, wild hogs and an occa- 

 sional mountain lion are to be found. 



Further to the eastward on this same 

 Branch, after passing through the moun- 

 tains and coming to the foot hill range, 

 is found the true paradise of the sports- 

 man. This region is well watered and 

 every kind of game is to be found. 

 There are five varieties of pheasants, 

 varying from the size of a pigeon to 

 that of a turkey ; three varieties of 

 quail ; two varieties of wild turkey, 

 deer, alligator, manatee, panther, wild 

 hogs and Mexican tiger, are abundant 

 in this region. Guides are easily pro- 

 curable, but they only speak the Span- 

 ish language. 



In the vicinity of the Port of Tam- 

 pico, there is probably the finest river 

 and sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, 

 if not in the Atlantic Ocean. In the 

 river there are a great variety of fish, 

 with the tarpon at the head. These 

 are caught by trolling, still fishing, oc- 

 casionally with a fly or by spearing. 

 There is good beach fishing from the 

 jetties. This is similar to the chumming 

 practiced for sea bass on the coast of 

 Long Island, and is very interesting, as 

 fish from four ounces to seventy-five 



* In compiling matter for our next issue of " The 

 Sportsman's Guide" to the Fishing and Shooting 

 Grounds of America, we now and then receive in- 

 formation which is of imme'iiate value to the readers 

 of The American Anolbr, and the above letter frt)m 

 Mr. A. v. Temple, of the Mexican C entr al Railway, .is 

 given in that connection. hihilBm 



LVHWEB 



