THE PIIILIITINE ISLANDS 71 



and the Tagals ; to the south the vast hemp-pi-oduoing 

 regions, Albay and Camarines, with the Bicols as the chief 

 inhabitants. Near Manihi there are the particular indus- 

 tries connected with large cities, as the " petite culture " ; 

 and land fetches a high price. One of the great sights 

 of Luzon is Pateros, or Duck-town, as it may l)e rendered, 

 where many hundreds of thousands of ducks are ainuudly 

 reared for the Manila market. These establishments 

 occupy the banks of the Pasig river for nearly two miles. 

 The birds are hatched by incubators, and are fed upon 

 shell-tish taken in Manila Bay. Ascending the Tasig, 

 the great sheet of water known as the Laguna de Bay is 

 reached, which has an average length and l^readth of 

 about twenty-five miles. It has been suggested, and witli 

 some probability, that it was formerly an arm of the sea 

 which was cut off and formed into a lake by the eruption 

 of one of the neighbouring volcanoes, as the lake of Taal 

 a little further to the south undoubtedly has been. 

 Sharks and other sea fish are reported to be found in its 

 water.s. At the present time its surface is said to be 58 

 feet above the level of the sea, and its depth to average 

 about 100 feet. Fifteen rivers flow into it, but the Pasig 

 is the only exit. Its shores are extremely fertile and the 

 scenery is beautiful, and owing to the number of towns 

 and villages surrounding it, its waters are covered with 

 native boats. 



Occupying the region to the north of Manila l^ay are 

 the two provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga, which are 

 perhaps the most flourishing parts of the island. ]\fagni- 

 ficent haciendas and sugar plantations evince the fertility 

 of the soil, but the earthquake of 1880 wrought tremen- 

 dous damage, and its effects are still to be seen. Daily 

 steamers connect the capital of the first-named pro^-ince 

 with Manila. Farther north, in the pro\ince of North 



