[Ootobbk 13, 1881.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



207 



A GLANCE AT YUCATAN. 



IT is now nearly a year since I last wrote the Forest and 

 Stream, then from the north coast of South America. 

 If 1 recollect rightly it was on or near the fourth of July. 

 To be truly patriotic I should wait till the next Fourth before 

 writing again. But I cannot. For months past I have Celt 

 impelled to write you, even as I would an old friend, and a 

 leisuie hour near the time of mail closing gives :ae the op- 

 portunity. 



Perhaps I am assuming too much in inferring that the 

 readers of your paper may still take an interest in the travels 

 of an old correspondent, but I will try to drop enough infor- 

 mation en route to make it worth their while to give a mo- 

 ment's attention. 



Leaving New York February 10, on board one of the fine 

 vessels of the. Alexandre Line, by the 20; h we W' re off Pro 

 greso, coast of Yucatan, hiving louched at Havana on thp 

 way. My destin -lion was Mexico, but Mexico is a republic 

 of goodly size, and includes in it, as a S'ate, the great penin- 

 sula of Yucatan. Possessing ruins of old ciiies of vast size 

 and great antiquity, a people mi generis, and interesting 

 bird-, it did not take long for Yuca'an to draw me I hither. 

 Consequently, I left the steamer and a delightful company of 

 fellow-voyagers, the certainty of a good (able and pleasant 

 companionship, for the (to me) unexplored wilderness of Yu- 

 •cntan and the uncertainty of a favorable reception. For- 

 tunately for me, and to the credit of the portion of the human 

 family inhabiting this part of the world. I met with pleasant 



t'ople and «ood cheer from the first. And I wish to remark 

 jht here that my four months in Mexico, up to date, have 

 ien Bpent (in part) in a rough portion of the country, in 

 ftely rides, in solitary walks' and wild mountain climbing, 

 yet; I have not experieuced a bad reception anywhere. The 

 salutary influence ot a revolver well displayed may have 

 played a po-t in this, but I will give the people credit for 

 better intentions towa'd travelers than they generally get. 



m To return to Yucatan. The only port is that of Progreso, 

 where the steamers touch weekly in going to and from Mex- 

 ico proper, or Vera Ciuz. That it is a hot place nobody will 

 .deny, not even the residents ; that, as its name indicates, it 

 is a piogressive place, everybody admits. Its importance 

 rests upon the fact that, all the Ji/imqusn — the Sisal hemp — of 

 the State is shipped here, mo-tly to the United States. 



| ' To readers of Foeest and Stream it may be more inter- 

 esting as a grand whit rresort for wateifowlof many kinds- 

 herons, ducks, coots, snipe, plover, eic. A great lagoon 

 Stretches inside the coast line, like many of those of Florida; 

 but shc.liow and well filled with mangroves ; and here princi- 

 pally is found the best shooting. By going up the coast one 

 hundred miles, one may find thousands of flarningces, spoon- 

 hills, egrets and sea birds ; but the whole country is more in- 

 teresting to a naturalist than to a sportsman. "Twenty-five 

 miles inland is Merida, ihe capital of Yucatan, as it was for- 

 merly that of the ancient kingdom of the Mayas, the Indians 

 inhabiting this peninsula. 



I To my great delight 1 found here, as United States Consul, 

 a gentleman interested in my pursuits — one who gave me a 

 more cordial greeting than one generally receives from Ihe 

 representatives of his country abroad. Seeing from my let- 

 ters that 1 waB not intent upon wringing from the nal ives 

 any cash tribute, and was only prowling about seeking what 

 I might devour, in the shape of birds and ruins, the Consul 

 invited me to make tbe consulate my headquarters while I 

 Stayed. This 1 gladly did, not only because my stock of 

 Spanish was not enough to go round and the natives persist- 

 ently refused to understand me, but because, my host was 

 one of the most delightful of companions. Mr. Louis H. 

 Ayme, of New York, who represents the United States in 

 Yucatan, seems a man peculiarly fitted for the position he 

 occupies, a9 Consul in a land of antiquities; for he is in- 

 teuse'y interested in their study, and has had much experi- 

 ence in researches in other couniries. He was a member of 

 the Transit of Venus expedition, has been all over the world 

 in various voyages, and has now brought all his accomplish- 

 ments to this out-of-the-way corner of the world and settled 

 himself down to the study of the ruins of Yucatan. Speak- 

 ing mid writing Spanish fluently, he does noi encounter that 

 difficulty in his official duties that besets most consuls when 

 they arc appointed to a foreign country. He has even in 

 contemplation the translation into English of a dictionary of 

 the Maya language — the ancient tongue of the inhabitants of 

 Yucatan. 



From this it will appear that our government has got the 

 right, man in the right place for once, and if anv stranger is 

 lauded in Yucatan, ss I was, without knowing a peison 

 there, and speaking very little of the language, he will hearti- 

 ly indorse the above opinion as soon as he strikes the con- 

 sulate. In the six weeks that I was there 1 saw a great deal 

 of Yuca'an, though the necessity of being in constant com- 

 munication with .Northern newspapers prevented me from 

 indulging in long hunting trips. Among the most note- 

 worthy of the many exclusions into the interior was ihat to 

 the ruined city of Uxmal, situated sixty miles from Merida, 

 on the confimsof the territory now abandoned to the hostile 

 Indians. Among these magnificent ruins (exceeding any- 

 thing out of Mexico and Central America) we spent several 

 days and nights, camping in the old " Palace of the Gover- 

 nor," and hunting the dense, scrubby forest for birds. Dr. 

 Le flongeon, whom I had the great pleasure of meeting in 

 Merida, the eminent archaeologist who discovered the great 

 Btatue of Chammol, is now camped in those ruins, in nun. 



I ."pany with his talented wife. He has discovered, he is quite 

 confident, the key to the hieroglyphs on the walls of Ux- 

 mal, Chichen liza and Mayapao, the three great ci ies of 



fehe ancient Mayas, and is following up his clue with all 

 "the ardor of other men in Ihe pursuit of wealth ; for his 



Lacquisitions will constitute wealth to the world of greater 

 amount than the earnings of a lift time. The only vehicle 

 used in these excursions is a wlan, peculiar t > Yucatan, in 



I "which tbe traveler reclines on a mattress while the three 



■annles attached drag him over rocks and in and out of 

 ruts at a terrific rate. 

 Another very important trip was to AJce., where the 

 ! ns are colossal, and which should be seen by every 

 (lent of American antiquities, for they are peculiar iu 

 :ir grandeur and signification. This can be done m two 

 three days. In fact, making Merida the center, one may 

 lb all the moat interesting portions of Yucatan in excur- 

 iotis, varying in length from two days to two weeks. Of 

 .course, if one would hunt the extensive forests of tbe east or; 

 visit the fascinating islands of Coztimel and Las Majere^ 

 must take more time. 



and no information is given ; but the Consul hopes to induce 

 some resident of Merida to open a hotel by another season, 

 where the tourist may be cared for, and to furnish facilities, 



in the way of guides and conveyances, to the many interest- 

 ing points. If he can carry out this plan there will be afforded 

 the winter traveler a new field for pleasure which may be en- 

 joyed without any discomfort. The steamers stopping at 

 Progreso will make connection with the railroad — now nearly 

 conn letert, and to be finished this summer — which will bring 

 Merida within an hour's ride, and from that old city ihe vari- 

 ous j 'limeys should be made. Should any one contemplate 

 visiting Yucatan this coming winter they should first write 

 our Qonsul there for further information. The climate of 

 Y'ucatan is very hot, and travel over the level roads is mostly 

 made at night, in Ihe wlans, and this was the way in which 

 most of our trips were made. Unlike Mexico, Yucatan has 

 no robbers nor murderers, all the people are honest, and life is 

 perfecily safe, except in the count) y of the hostile Indians, 

 ihe people are hospitable to nil strangers. There is not a 

 ho'el in the peninsula outside the largest cities Y'ou have 

 only to drive into the first hacienda yon come to, and you and 

 your mules, or horses, and attendants, are provided for at once 

 »ntl cheerfully. In one long trip of eighty miles that we made 

 into the interior for the purpose of burning the magnificent 

 ocellated turkey, we were hindered by the hospitality of the 

 people to such a degree that our purpose was entirely defeat- 

 ed. The first forty miles we accomplished by traveling all 

 night, but soon as morning came the chiefs of the towns 

 seized and feted us for three days and nights, feeding ns-by 

 day and and giving balls in our honor by night. At last, 

 despairing of any game, if this were kept up, I broke away 

 from the party and went off with a Yucatan alone, we two, 

 into the logwood forests of the coast, where I found more 

 bird 1 but no less hospitality. 



Had I time; I could relate more regarding Yucatan, but 

 will reserve the rest for another letter. Objsh. 



%<itnral Jjiiptorg. 



ARIZONA FOOD. 



Tucson, Arizona, September 14. 



BENIGHTED people, who have not enjoyed the advan- 

 tages of education or revelled in the de'l'ghts of Ari- 

 zona fare may imagine this a destitute country, where the 

 "pilgrim" must bring an onion in a carpet bag, trusting to 

 the' hospitality of the desert for jerkey or pemrnicau. 



Fortunately the railroad, the telegraph and newspapers are 

 dissipating this ignorance, and spreading abroad a more cor- 

 rect estimate of "the desert laud, which this year has been 

 flooded with water. Rain, rain — "the rain it raiueth every 

 day." 



LARGE GAME. 



The ( innamon bear is iouud in the mountains between the 

 Rio Grande and the Colorado, and is neither so coarse ss the 

 grizzly nor so gross as tbe black bear. 



The deer flirts his tail on all the mountain slopes, and is 

 fair game after the 15th of September. The bucus are al- 

 ready being taken in, and on account of the abundant raias 

 and the freshness of the grasses the me.it is exceptionally 

 sweet this'year. 



The antelope may be found on all the mesas or table lands, 

 feeding as daintily as a lady, in droves of fifty or sixty, and 

 an expert hunter, prepared with a red shirt and dried helmet 

 of ihe antelope's skin, may easily take a dozen a da} r . 



A diminutive antelope is found here resembliug the Per- 

 sian gazelle. 



In early times the mustang was frequently killed for 

 food, and the steaks and tid-bits over a camp fire were in- 

 nitely superior to an old dray horse at a French restaurant. 



Peccaries were abundant formerly, and, saving the musk, 

 were not bad in flavor. They are scarce now. 



The moun'ain goat is scarce and hard to catch, but some 

 may yet be killed on desolate mountain peaks. 

 Jackass rabbits are abundant, and during tfce winter vrry fat. 



The coveys propagate as rapidly as elsewhere; and are an 

 ea=y prey. 



Silver grey foxes abound, and the Pima Indians enjoy a 

 fox cha'e as much as the English gentry— they hunt both on 

 horse aud foot— merely for the sport. 



The 'possum is found in the Gila and Salinas river bot- 

 toms, and is cooked with sweet potatoes grown on ihe soil. 

 The raccoon is also found in the river bottoms. 



BIRDS. 



The wild turkey abounds on the streams and the divides 

 along the Gila River, and to the north of it feeding on the 

 nuts and grass seeds which give it so fine a flavor. 



Whether it is the aboriginal bird of America, or strayed 

 from the Spanish Missions matters not much to the eater, 

 but 1 am inclined to think from the strong flavor and the 

 color of the feathers that it is the genuine wild bird. Its 

 weight far exceeds the domestic turkey. 



The top-knot quail is a native of Arizona, and I venture to 

 affirm that two good sportsmen can fill a wagon in one day 

 along the Gila River bottoms. 



As the agriculture of the country increases these birds ir 

 crease in numbers, and at this season are rery fat froru^g 

 na'ive seeds, the mesquite beau and the fields of grain- 1 l 



settlements. 



of the 



The absence of celery prohibits Ihe enjoymc;^ jn 

 canvas-back duck, but the teal duck is eotexc n , ' , " J 

 part of the world for juice and flavor. Mallsr ^., ","""„, 



Doves are in season now, and csj> be is>'" a ^ m ttD J num " 



Tru o • j «_ , urnP , r ,p r i 1 .sl believe that were 



The Syrian dove— the very ' timc ? P l - c _ r Tr ,„.. _ • 

 sold "two for a farthine'" ■•: the lem'Wrf Jerusalem— coo 

 soil dwo tor a tarthmg /» t e lh 



m the cotton woods ot A»«O na " M«. 



third the size of the (low; of the M A ^ mountains (oui«™_ 



Wild pigeons are ahindant— on" 

 cahuas) is named for them, .d— are killed on the Colorado 



Blue cranes — nine feetjij turkeys. 

 river, and eaten ns CtVufut in the swamps, and as large as 



Reed birds are Wuglaod. 

 bob-o-links in .oimdant from January till June. 



Curlew^ed lands and swamps are favorable to snipe, and 



f n p^und in the season 

 t t «tckhirds (cbenat.es) exceed all others in numbers and 

 ocal powers. The trees are literally hlaek with them ia the 



spring, and their music is the joy of" the morning 

 ■e of Ihe Ehapparel cock (paisauo) is a verv deliciou 

 Merida itselt, once a seat of ancient civiliMtk- ^WJ* | hard to kill, its motions are so rapid. These birds are the 



the most attractive cities 

 few weeks' stay- There _ 

 indifferent fare is d i shed up, nothing 



the Bhapparel cock (paisauo) i 8 a very delicious bird, but 



hard to bill, its motions are so rapid. These birds are the 



in America, and w\t", esem w ,' lere natural roes of the rattlesnake, and build a corral of chollav 



is one hotel th^arush w 8 * oken . ' (cactus) around him, and irritate him until he lashes himself 



to death against the thorns by which he is surrounded. 



Blue-jays, red-birds, whippoorwills, robins, sparrows, 

 hawks, crows, eagles and such are abundant. 



Last summer 1 domesticated some humming birds in the 

 Santa Catalina mountains, and fed them on the honey from 

 the flower of the Maguey. 



FISH AND FEOGS. 



We cannot boast much of fish on account of the intermit- 

 tent streams, but in the Eastern Gila, the Verde and tributary 

 waters speckled trout can be taken equal in flavor to any 

 country, on account of the purty of the water and fttoq. 

 Carp are being introduced into the niid-p nds, lakes and 

 cienegas, so that we shall soon have a supply of phospho- 

 rescent, food. 



Terrapin abound in the swamps, and no finer stew can be 

 made on the Chesapeake than we have heie in this "ancient 

 and honorable Pueblo." 



Frogs are found in abundance, and of exceptionally good 

 size and flavor. Aviraca is the choice frog raucbe of the 

 country, aud some Frenchmen and Chinese earn quite a good 

 living by gathering them for the restaurants at a dollar a 

 dozen — cooked a la bm delaise. 



REPTILE FOOD AND DOGS. 



Reptile food is abundmt, but is not relished much by 

 Americans. The Iudians roast a rattlesnake, and the meat 

 is 'qual to chicken. 



The Gila mons'er (esmpion), so called by the Mexicans 

 from ejecting a poisonous saliva, is the most horrible reptile 

 in Arizona — " Gila horrit lendens." 



The Papago Indians bting scarce of animal food make 

 great use of the lizards, which abound on the Western 

 deserts, and, boiled or roasted, they are not bad food. 



The prairie dog may be classed as a rodent and is very fair 

 food, living in towns of their own in strange companionship 

 with the owl and the rattlesnake. 



Ground squirrels are abundant. 



WILD VEGETABLE FOOD. 



Vegetable food is unique — the most curious production is 

 the fruit of the Uereu* giganlms, which is gathered by the 

 Indians and the Mexicans. The tree grows from forty to 

 sixiy feet high and the fruit is gathered with poles, with a 

 fork and a hook at the end, the juice is expressed for molas- 

 ses, and stored in earthenware jugs, the pulp is pressed for 

 winter bread. 



The mesquite tree, an acacia,- growing from latitude 

 35 deg. N. to the tropics and from Texas to California, 

 produces an annual crop of beans, an average tree yielding 

 about Ien bairels. They are gathered for horses and mules. 

 The Indians pound them into bread, and I have known 

 them distil ed into very fair whisky. The tree also exudes 

 a valuable medicinal gum. 



The Paloverde produces a wild pea which is very tender 

 and delicate. 



Cowate, the indigenous potato carried by Sir Walter 

 Raleigh from the Orinoco to his estates in Ireland (since 

 become so famous aud fruitful as the Irish potato) is found 

 on the hill sides, and after severe boiling is palatahle. 



The sweet potato grows in the sand deseris of the West 

 and has been classified by Prof. Torrey a^ Arenabroniae 

 sonorea (the sand food of Sonora). It is a parasite, gathering 

 sustenance from a sponge-like fun2ti3 at the top. The 

 Papago Iudians gather and roast this vegetable, which has 

 a very delicate flavor from the purity of the sand and 

 atmosphere. 



FRUITS. 



As to domestic fruits, the Spanish missionaries introduced 

 pears, peaches, apples, apricots, grapes, pomegranates arJ 

 many delicious qualities ; but the orchards were nearly all 

 destroyed by the Indians. 



The Americans are now planting orchards in ever* favor- 

 able location, and if the Indians do not destroy th" 11 again, 

 " we shall enjoy the fruits of the earth." 



The Visnagre (a cactus) makes an excellent p^serve, equal 

 to citron. 



The roasted maguey has long been a fat' ,rite food wilh 

 the Indians. The juice fermented is fh w ; distilled, 

 mescal; refined, tekelt.. 



It is a very intoxicating beverage a?4 not susceptible of 

 adulteration. Old mescal is worth " a gallon; makes an 

 excellent hot punch. 



sea Foor 



As to sea food we shall goo- h »ve access to the Gulf of 

 California (the Mediterranean/ 1 tne Pawtic), by railway, 

 and our desert fare will be r-' , g " e ! 1 h - y fnod far tbx ' Dr aia. 

 Prof. Zinthus reported " tho Smithsonian Institution, 

 some ye .rs ago. , ighW d.-- , -, r «n t varieties of fish in th • gulf. 

 1 have seen turtles that ,i " 1 "- 1 m ' H car t, and nave cut oys era 

 from the jungle ir the-* tl j ar 7 <>f Navochista. 



Tbe pearl orster aas beea gaibeted there for more than 



^Sea b'i'rd' will " so 800n be added to our bill of fare. 



The slKllfe 1 °. 1 ., r ^ e S ulE is already good and abundant ; 

 but no do;; 1 wlU be improved much by cultivation and 

 tr.-nsplar ' g 



KDT8, KTO. 



p . nuts, walnut', acorns, wild grapes, blackberries, 



ver_ berries, manzanlt* apples, prickly pears and tunas 



J j be round in their n-spec ive localities, and all are used as 



ood. The manzanita and juniper fruits especially attract 



I he flowers of the Ocqulltillo are a grt at delicacy Iw h 1p 

 antelope. 



The American aloe (maguey) grows abundantly in the 

 mountains (Sylvestre), and is cultivated in the plains of 

 Arizona and Mexico. This wonderful production was accu- 

 rately described S.OOJ years ago by the Chinese, when tliey 

 visited this Continent. A translation of ihe book called 

 "Fusang" can be had from Trubnei & Co., London. 



OOOKF.RV. 



Cookery has improved vastly with the new population, but 

 T dOubt if a more, savory dislfcan he prepared by any of our 

 French or Chinest immigrants than the"talama" of the 

 Al:.i rigincs. This is the head of a beef, deer or sheep c i 

 entire, in the ground, surrounded by stones and cuvercd by a 

 camp fire -taken out in the morning, stripped of tho skin 

 and carved, with the for brains dressing. It is a dish for a kin 



The Mexican dish of females (hashed 



S- 



Ihe Mexican dish of tamates (hushed turkey, chicken po- 

 or beef), rolled in u corn hud?, with red peppers and co™ 

 roasted to a turn and eaien hoi, is good. 



A dinner given here last Sunday to General Williamson 

 has provoked tins, and 1 venture to say, St. Delmonieo 

 himself would have been astonished at some of the. viands. 

 The wmes were from France. Charms D. Postom. 



[Although some of the statements of our correppondentata 

 quite opposed to generally accepted belief's, we think better 

 to publish his article as it comes to us without any extended 

 comments. J " 



