The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1868-12-19
THE ISLANDS OF PYRAMID LAKE,
UTAH.

mid Lake, and explored several of its
islands at the season of laying and III
cubation for the myrads ofgulls, ducks,
pelicans, and other waterfowl that
swarm upon its water, states that at
that time the larger islands are literally
white with eggs In walking from the
shore toward the centre of the islands
it is impossible to proceed fifty feet
without stepping upon some the eggs,
so thicklv are they strcwn over the
ground. The fowls inhabiting the
islands are described as being exceed
inglv tame: they hover and flutter
upon the ground about the intruder
upon their breeding ground, or circle
and stream about his head, and with
but little show of fear. This absence
of fear of man is doubtless to be attribu-
ted to the fact that until lately that
fcathercd bipcd," man, has never been
seen by them upon their Islands,
Owing to certain supcrsttious notions
held by them in regard to the lake, the
Indians have never, in the memory of
their oldest chief, visited any of the
islands. Even were they not withheld
bv the fear of monsters in the lake and
upon the islands, they have no boats or
canoes, and know nothing even of that
rudcst of nautical arts-raft navigation.
Among the islands of the lake are
two small, rocky ones, near to each
other, and at no great distance from
the fact that they are alive with rattle
snakes Huge and lazy old patriarchs
of the islands, with long strings of rat
ties upon their tails, bask in the shade
of almost every stone, while younger
and more active members of the tribe
glide about in all directions, and the
intruder upon these islands of snakes is
often treated to sercnade by a dozen
sets of rattles of various degrees of
power and shades of tone. Of course
neither whites or Indians would care to
tarry long on these islands, nor to cul-
tivate more than a passing acquaintance
with their musical inhabitants.
1t is supposed that the reason of
these two islands being so completely
alive and crawling with snakes, is that
few having got on their shores by
some accident, and finding convenient
dens in the rocks, they have ever since
fed and fattened upon the eggs and I'M
fedged young of the brooding water
fowl, and have gone on increasing and
multiplying, with nothing to decrease
or disturb them. We have said above
that the Indians have supcrstitious no
tons about the lake and islands. These
notions appear to have no more definite
form than vague fear of certain black
monsters which they say inhabit its
waters, having been driven into the
lake bv the united cxertions of their
people ages ago, because Of their dcs-
troying the groves of nutpincs. They
declare that they have frequently seen
the backs of these monster animals pro-
truding above the level of the water,
far out in the lake.
These stories are doubtless without
the slightest foundation in fact The
Indians are not much to blame for these
notions however, for by indulging i'll
them they do not exhibit greater de-
gree of superstition than is displayed
by the white race in all countries. But
a short time since, there was published
an account of three or four monster
serpents-a hundred feet long and
some four feet in Misunderstanding
been seen disporting themselves in
Owens Lake" causing its waters to
boil like a pot" These Owens Lake
monsters are vouchcd for by Colonel
Stevens, superintendent of a mining
company at Lone Pine, by a party Of
Mexicans, and by party Of white men.
Such st cries have been told about lakes
in all countries, and the sea has had its
monster serpent ever since the Chinese
first discovered him, ages and ages ago.
The monster or monsters of Pyramid
Lake however, as described by Piutes,
are not serpcnts; they more nearly re-
scmblc the mysterious monster of the
Lake Eurcle Sartor, one of the western
Norwegian isles, which, at uncertain
intervals, is said to arch its back above
the lone waters of the lake, and there
remain lying like an islct, till it pleased
to sink again, drawing the water from
the shores as it goes down, and crea-
ting a great commotion. The Piutes
have several times tried to point out to
white men prospecting in that vicinity,
the Pyramid Lake monsters; we have
never met with any one who was able
to see anything more than the swell on
the lake, blackened by tho shadow of
a passing cloud.
Territorial Enterprise.