Page:Mexico of the Mexicans.djvu/130

114 The Mexicans themselves do not affect the hunting of big game, which is to be found principally in the Northern and Southern extremities of the country. In the North, the brown bear, grisly, and cinnamon are not numerous; but, occasionally, deer and antelope abound, and the mountain lion is frequent. In the tierra caliente, or hot lands, the jaguar is common as is the wild-cat; and further south, on the isthmus, the tapir—sole representative of the American elephants—is to be encountered.

Wild-fowl is most abundant, geese, swans, duck, and pelican swarming in some States, the lake districts attracting water-fowl of all sorts by the hundred thousand. Duck-shooting is a favourite sport, the birds being stalked from a canoe from the cover of the rushes which deeply fringe every Mexican lake. In the hills close to the east coast, pheasants are extremely numerous. There is no close time in Mexico owing to the regular breeding of the birds; no shooting licence is necessary, and guns and ammunition are permitted to enter the Republic duty free. Fishing, too—especially the gentle art of catching, or rather battling with, the gigantic tarpon, is pursued with great success—the tarpon fishing being accounted the finest in the world.

The gilded youth of Mexico city are reckless motorists, and the Governor of the Federal District found it necessary some years ago to introduce some specially strict legislation regarding speed-limit, and the allied delinquencies of the automobilist on account of the very large number of accidents. It required a lot of really rigorous police supervision to ensure that all cars should carry number-plates, the Mexicans objecting strongly to this by-law. Conviction frequently brought with it imprisonment without the option of a fine, and this sometimes for fairly long periods; and no proxies were permitted to save the "bacon" of the real offender, whatever his station