Hunting Peruvian Game

Hunting in tbe highlands of Peru is a rery eijoyable if little fcnown sport, according to an Englishrnan "who spent some days hunting from 15,000 to 18,000 feet above the sea on grassy plains or iu valleys surrounded by high mountains. " There is considerable sniall game - snipe, dncks, culi culi (a kiud of gronse) and quivio (a kind of guinea fowl) - but the game a sportsman out for a day or two seeks is vicuña and alpaca. The vicuña ie the wild llama and is a shy animal with great vitality, requiring neck or shoulder shots to kill. The alpaca is the mountaiu vicuña, living on the coarse and scanty forage of its home región. lts wool is a foot long, but so curly and fine that it fits to its body like a darky's hair. Both arerelated closely to the guanaco of the Patagonia deserts, which sometimes wanders into the uplands of Peru. The Englishmau carried a 44-40 American rifle and a 16 gauge shotgun for small game. "Entering a large pampa," he writes, "we sighted a herd of vicuña. We tried io ride around them, but they made off, passing Ashmcre at about 200 yards. Lying down, he opened fire, and a fine specimen rolled over. We cleaned it, ioaded it on to a pack mule and rode on, soon striking another berd of seven, which at once made off, but my second shot at 1 40 yards dropped ene dead. This we took, and soon after bagged two brace of culi-culi." That night the hunters rolled up in their blankets on the mud floor of a hnt. Hammocks strung from post to post wonld have been beteer. Nextday, after a restful night, they "began toshoot the valley adjacent to Caraguiri. " Some of tbe writer's bullets hit two vicuña at 130 yards, and some of the othershit the Talley. The dead animáis were loaded on the pack mules, and after going over the surnrnit of an 18,000 foot mountain the hunters had the rare good fortune for that región of jumping seven guanaco, which ran too fast for the mnles the men rode and struck a gait across tbe pampa discouraging to the hunters. "But leaping from ruy mule, " says the writer, "and sighting my rifle at 400 yards, I dropped a bullet ahead of them, and tira bunch of dnst scared them to a standstill. I then plumped the reruainiag nine bullets iuto the herd, and two feil dead. " A 38-55 rifle wonld havo been better for snch long range work, and a 40-82 Still better, but no matter, the guanacos were killed. One was 45 inohos high at the shonlder and -weighed 140 pounds dressed. ïhe other was 36 inches high and weighed 75 pounds dressed. The total bag was two guanacos, seven vicuña, seven brace of culi-culi, one brace of quivio, five ducks, three euipes and no end of fun. The end of the hunt was to the tunes of a banjo and a piano,