Full text of "Journal of the Field Naturalists' Club"
CLUB PAPERS.
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A QUANK " HUNT.
[For interesting notes by Mr. T. W. Carr, (father of the writer) ex-
planatory of some of the terms used in this paper the reader is re-
quested to refer at each interpolated letter to the end of the paper.]
Having been called upon in April 1891, by a few pleasure-
seeking friends, who had come from Town v/ith a burning desire
for a hunt (a) in the virgin forest of Caparo (b), I willingly
promised to initiate them into the mysteries of the woods — with
what amount of success will presently appear.
The next day was fixed upon ; when preparatory to starting
we set about to see that our hunting implements, to wit : guns,
hunting knives (c), cutlasses (d), lances (e), a coflee-digger (f),
and an axe, were ready. We then saw to that other important
factor, — our provisions for the day, which consisted of roasted
game and bread, and the amateur chasseur's indispensable re-
cuperative, a flask of whisky, an item which our old professional
" hunters " have learnt to do without. These people, one of whom
made the fifth of our party, are in some cases, small peasant pro-
prietors, generally descendants of that valuable pioneer class of
the early part of the century, the Venezuelan peons (g). Their
habit of life is to work one half of the week, and hunt and rest
the remainder. Our hunting pack comprised nine native curs,
all trained in Quank (h) and Lappe (i) hunting. Starting at 7
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a.m., under a clear and cloudless sky, we wended our way through
a few beautiful young Cacao cultivations, over which stood the
bright scarlet tops of the Immortel tree (j), then in full bloom,
and in a few minutes were in the forest. Here and there huge
Silk-cottons (k), Cedars (l), Figuiers (m) and Balatas (n) were
seen, and palms from four feet to 150 feet higli, while ferns of
many kinds made themselves conspicuous by the incessant
vibration of their tender and graceful leaves. The heads of the
taller palms could only be seen, however, from the tops of hills,
rising over the wavy, oft liane-crested forest. The ferjis, among
which we noticed the beautiful silver-fern (o), are invariably
found by water and abound in the ravines. The vanilla (p),
whose thick and fleshy vines peculiarly aflTect the ridges of poor
hills, climbing to the tops of their hardwood trees, where they
expand in liane-like festoons, from which in the season, as now,
pend scores of pods, richly fragrant when ripe. The thousand
lilies (q), whose dark green leaves line the banks of the slow-
running streams, the various rich-coloured orchids (?•) hanging
from the branches of their majestic supporters ; the graceful form
of a harmless cribo (s) snake, Spilotes corais, wending its way in
search of its prey; the sudden bound of a startled deer (t) ; the
" roar " (not howl) tailing off with a grunt (equally loud in its
earlier and lower notes) of the red monkey, a J/yce^es-Araguato of
our Spanish j^eonaje-to be heard for miles around ; the pranks of
the timid agouti — Dasyprocta isthmica, D. aguti Linn, over his
meal of balata fruit — by the way, the choicest delicacy of the woods
for man and beast ; the soft musical sounds made by the rippling
water of an occasional creek ; the incessant prattle of tiny stream
frogs ; the raucous note of a tree-frog thrown in ; and last, but
not least, the chirping and warbling of the numerous gorgeous
members of the feathered tribe (u), the beauty and dazzle of
whose plumage are somewhat lost in the gloom so characteristic
of the tropical forest, amply repay the sportsman [qua naturalist)
for the toil, exposure, and deprivations of the day.
After an uneventful hour's ramble over a succession of hills
and valleys, my attention was attracted by something on the
ground near me, and on looking closer I found we had happily
come upon a freshly-beaten Quank track. All other thoughts,
save of meeting face to face this little terror, vanished, and we
made ready for what we expected would be an exciting and
possibly a satisfactory chase. The dogs by this time, had found
the track, caught the scent, and were making their way towards
us with upraised hair, noses to the ground, and tails beating with
great excitement. After a few moments, as if an exchange of
signs had been made between them, they, one and all, dashed off,
and in a short while their yelping, though harsh and discordant,
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made lively music. We were no less excited ourselves, each
hurr3'ing oil', cutting his own way through vines (v), prickly palms
(iv), undergrowth, and other obstacles, hoping to be first on the
scene of the terrible fight which is sure to take place when the
prey is brought to bay. The pursuit was vigorously kept up for
fully an hour, when the hoped for goal was reached, and it was
found that the object of our chase had taken refuge within the
hollow trunk of a gigantic balata tree, lying prostrate a stately
wreck, probably for over two generations. Within about fifteen
minutes after the ari'ival of the first, the I'emainder of the party
came up. Stopping both ends of the trunk with fallen branches,
we sat down and rested for ten minutes to recover breath and
relieve our jaded muscles, considering the safest and easiest way
to capture our prisoner. After this short rest, we began
opei'ations with the sharp-edged axe on this dead but hardshelled
giant of the forest, and worked incessantly for about an hour
before we reached the now maddened creature, the chattering of
whose tusks bespoke danger and warned us to be careful. A
wide enough entrance having been hewn, I asked to be allowed
to shoot, as the uninitiated would surely make mischief. This
request was quickly granted, when at the report of my shot and
to our pleasant surprise, two more frightened members of the
same band, who thought discretion the better part of valour,
jumped right amongst us from the opening we had efiected and made
clear their way befoi'e the remainder of the party had time to
snatch up their guns. After a short run, however, they were
brought to bay ])y four ofthedogs while the remaining five stood
guarding the dead quank. This, 1 may say en jxissant, is a habit
of our hunting-dogs ; they are so trained, with the object of
keeping off a certain class of hunters or ' sneak thieves' (Amei*.) I
should rather call them, who follow noiselessly upon the heels of
the unsuspecting hunter with the view of "annexing " his game
if left ungua,rded. These faithful animals can be relied upon, as
tliey bark furiously at the approach of a stranger, and the hunter
whose practised ear seldom fails to recognise the thousand and
one sounds peculiar to the forest, including the bai^k peculiar to
each of his dogs, hurries tow-ards his faithful guards to find that
the intruder has either used his better judgment and moved ofi'
as fast as his locomotive powers would allow, or is standing sur-
rounded by his anything but pleasant companions, whose furious
barking and threatening attitude make matters verjj- uncomfortable
for him. Should one of these rascals be caught, he is dealt with
summarily, and taught a lesson that he does not readily forget.
To continue, we quickly followed, and witnessed one of the most
determined fights betv/een l)east and beast. Here v/ere two full-
grown quanks, foaming v>dth rage, their backs against the trunk
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of a large tree, faced by the four dogs, who kept up a continuous
Ijarking and snapping at them. This was kept up for a minute
or two, when the angered rovers of the woods put a stop to this
truculent intrusion by frightfully mutilating with their tusks two
of their annoyers. The wailing and groaning of these poor
animals was pitiful to hear ; but nothing could be done to them
before the quanks were killed. After seeing that the remaining
dogs were not in ourway, two shots were simultaneoitsly fired, both
taking efiect and bringing to the ground these daring little animals.
Upon a close examination of their skins it was found that they
too, had had their share of bites, though with the difterence, that
their's were mere skin-bruises, while the dogs' were deep flesh-
wounds. Of all the wild animals of the Trinidad forest, the quank
is the most savage and pugnacious. They are known, after
having killed their common enemy, to sit on their haunches tearing
him into strands. In defending themselves, they sometimes rush
at and chase the dogs for fifty yards or more.
Excitingandnot free from danger, as the foregoing mightseem
to the reader, there was, however, another incident which assumed
a far more fearful aspect. It was an encounter with the dreaded
mapepire (Lachesis nuitdis) which had inhabited or was asleep in
the hollow of the balata tree in which the quanks had taken
refuge, and as an instance of the sluggishness of this snake, if
not — as O'Reilly says — of the insensibility of ophidians to sound,
I can aver that notwithstanding the noise occasioned by the
barking of the dogs, chopping of the log, and report of the gun,
his snakeship had not been in the least disturbed until one of the
most daring of the dogs that had, on our return to this, the scene
of our first "kill," gone into the hollowed trunk rummaging in
quest of further possible game, indecorously seized and dragged
into the open this terrible animal. On realizing howevei*, what
was the nature of this fresh find, the dog immediately relaxed its
grip, thereby allowing its enemy a clear fighting field. The snake
now attacked by the half-dozen unwounded dogs, darted its ugly,
triangular head as quick as lightning, first at one dog and then at
another, sometimes missing but sometimes striking the infuriated
animals, and before we could get near enough to kill this death-
dealing brute, it had bitten four dogs, one dying almost immedi-
ately and another within fifteen minutes. These two unfortunate
creatures would not permit us to attend to their wounds ; they
ran off", howling piteously, succumbing to the eSectsof the venom
in the short time mentioned ; but the other two, one bitten on
the neck and the other on the paw, were promptly attended to,
and got well after a few days. The remedy used was a tincture I
carried, prepared from roots, barks and seeds, and is a pleasant,
though strong balsamic bitter. The two sick patients, though
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conscious, were unable to walk and had to be carried home in
guayares, an extemporised basket-like Indian palm-leaf and liane
knapsack, (.t-) which is suspended from the shoulders, by means
of two straps, lies flat to the back, can be made to receive seventy
to eighty pounds weight, and is by far the most convenient contriv-
ance for the carrying of a load through the woods, or up an ascent,
as it allows the free use of hands and arms, and is entirely with-
out pressure on the breast. The snake was killed by the blows of a
long green stick, cut for the purpose, as shooting among the dogs
was hazardous. This crotalid, a fairly large one, measured 7 feet
10 inches long by o inches through the thickest part of the belly.
After skinning it and removing the fangs (y) from their death-
chamber in the upper gum ( these to be kept as^ trophies), we sat
down and partook of our well-earned refreshments. The first to
rise was the old hunter, who, by the way, declared that never
during his long experience, had he, in a single hunt, witnessed
such a large proportion of disaster among his dogs. Of our pack
of nine, two of the best were killed, four wounded, and only the
remaining three free from hurt. When ready to start, we, one
and all, shouldered our guayares (or wayas), one carrying a dog,
another a quank, and so on, and made tracks for home. The
amateurs found chasing much pleasanter than carrying, and our
journey back, which should have been accomplished in three
hours, lasted fully four. We reached home thoroughly exhausted,
and rested the rest of the weary, after a most exciting if not un-
qualifiedly enjoyable day. /
1st. Sept. 1893. Albert B. Carr.
(a.) Hunt. Sporting — by gun or otherwise — in the woods, hills, plains
or marshes of Trinidad, necessarily undertaken afoot in the Island
always — among high and low alike - goes by this term ; in Creole la cliasse,
and the hunter chasseur.
{b.) Caparo. Middle Caparo (in which the hunt here written of took
place) is a sub district called after the valley and river of this name. The
Caparo is the only considerable stream draining the Northern face of the
Wontserrat range. A large area about its upper reaches is yet unalienated,
in wild forest, practically unexplored, and the N.E. saddles, giving access to
Tamana and the shortest practicable route through the hollows of that
range to the Upper Nariva and Ortoire country en route to Mayaro, is un-
mapped and unknown.
(f .) The Trinidad hunting knife is ordinarily an old cutlass, worn or broken
down to a total length of a couple of feet, seven inches being taken up by
the corded handle. The blade has been narrowed and ground down to a
long point, both edges sharpened ; in fact it has been converted into a
great dagger or poniard.
[d] Cutlass. The common field implement of the Trinidad and Span-
ish Main labourer, whether for chopping Canes, trimming Cacao trres,
cutting grass for stock, slicing one's way in the forest through bush-ropes or
the small vines, cutting rastro {ratrajo or ruinate), brushing beneath grown
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Cacao, chopping branchwood for faggots or fuel, &c., without which light
and handy implement no one here would think of entering the forest or any
bush land. It is in the form of a broad bladed sword without guard, plain
wooden handle rivetted with a slightly recurved acuminate point, scab-
bardless and is sold by the importing ironmongers at from i8c. to 40c.
each.
{e.) Lance. The usual lance of the Trinidad bush-hunter, the most
effective known to him, than which he wishes no better, is the bayonet of
an old Brown Bess mounted on a straight five feet pole of tough hard
wood, cut in the forest, and shaped and fitted at leisure in his Ajoupa or
cabin home.
(/.) Coffee-Digger.. This straight, narrow, strong, flat-bladed imple-
ment [luchette in patois, chicuara of the 'panyoles) made originally perhaps
in England for drain-cutting, is employed here for digging coffee-holes and
for transplanting young coffee, loosening and lifting the plant with a ball of
earth attached as much as possible with unexposed or unbroken roots.
This grubbing spade is alway.s taken by the hunter who hopes to meet a
lapp or tatou (armadillo or hog-in-armour of the 17-18 century planters).
With it he digs down to the game in the tunnel he has burrovv^ed and
retreated into. When the back of the animal is exposed to view, the
digger is thrown aside to give the coup de grace to the poor beast by the
lance (the old bayonet) ; then the hole is widened to draw it to grass.
{g.) Peon. A very useful class of men, who entered the colony from
the western side of the Gulf in considerable numbers during the desperate
struggle for independence from the hated rule of Spain by the Creoles of
Venezuela in the early part of the century. They appear to have settled
largely in the Quarter of Couva, spreading gradually North, South, and
East into Montserrat. Being good woodmen, they were muc'h employed
by the proprietors of that day in throwing down forest and opening land
for new estates. Squatting in the wild and neglected backlands, they
carved out conucoes in the woods, growing roots, corn and plantains for
daily provision, and cacao for a permanent crop. They, I should now
rather say the descendents of the original peons, are unequalled in the
speed and neatness with which they underbrush and establish a cacao-
piece. The peonaje of the main are descended from Indian (aboriginal)
mothers by fathers of the early Spaniards.
(/;.) Quank. Dicotyles Tajacii, or Collared Peccary of naturalists, called
here (to distinguish it from £J. /ay/a/j/s Cuv. or White lipped Peccary of
literature, the ' Small Red Quank' of our swamps) ; the ' Big Gray Quank'
(Cuenco) being gray all over, collar included.
(/.) Lapp. (Labba of Demerara)'Ci?/oo'i,';;3's Para L. In general estima-
tion, the best mammal flesh in the Island. Still abundant in many parts
of the Island, disappearing by degrees in the settled Wards.
{].) The hnmortel (more commonly shortened to 'Mortel) Tree. Two
species are used by the Trinidad planter, to shade the delicate cacao-tree :
the Anauco {Erythrina velutina Willd.) the tall clean stemmed tree with
a small head of branches high above the tops of the cacao and the low
branching Bucare [Erythrina umbrosa L.) which shades the tender cacao
much better in its early years, but gives much trouble in trimming
to reduce the shade when too umbrageous, done also to avoid the need
there would otherwise be to remove the lower branches when they had
grown so large and heavy that their fall at that stage could not be effected
without breaking the cacao branches beneath them. Yet despite the
increased labour and and cost, many planters in low grounds prefer the
bucare to the anauco. In character and appearance of wood and seed, these
two species differ but little from each other to the common eye.
(A.) Silk Cotton tree. Eviodendron anfractuosiim D.C. An immense tree
3s intended for tlw, t'hih
iJiG Honorari/ Sccretunj,
B.W.I.
