The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-02-20

the ocean, and the water is very deep |
close In shore. There Is In one place a |
little sand spit of perhaps 100 feet in |
length, where boats are generally landed |
and where the seal fishers make their
camp. This is we'll sheltered, and Is
withal very cosy retreat, where one
might be lulled to sleep by the sweet
whisperings of the billows and the music
of the winds and dream away the tedious
hours.
On the south side of the island, from
shore to horizon, lies one vast bed of
seaweed, gently undulating with the
swell, and catching the golden tints of
the resplendent sun. On either hand
extend jagged cliffs, against which in
stormy weather dash the mighty waves
as they roll in from the bosom of the
Pacific, like planets crashing, and throw
their spray with laundering sound high
up where the sea gull makes its nest and
rears its young. When the storms of
wind sweep over the rugged, sea-worn
cliffs, the myriad broad leaves of the
growing kelp lift themselves in the air,
and with each succeeding gust strike the
water with a sound as of musketry.
There is no fresh water on this rocky
island, yet persevering man has found it
practicable to keep 1t stocked with sheep
and goats, and discovered 1t possible to
rear them without other drink than that
afforded by the heavy dew falling on the
grass at night. At first thought it would
seem impossible for animals to live with
out more water than could be thus OBJ
tained. Yet here the dew falls SO copi-
ously as to abundantly supply their
wants. The fisherman bring over their
supplies of wood anu water from the
mainland, devote their time to killing
seal (which are very plentiful,) render
ing up the blubber, and revelling in the
"intense solitude At the extreme
west end of Anacapa, there is a small
coral and sheep camp, where a vessel
calls once or twice year with party
of sheep shearers, and leaves them to
take the fleece from the backs of the fat
sheep. This is usually accomplished in
four or five days, when the vessel re-
turns and takes both men and wool to
the mainland.
The fishing business around and on
, the island is the most profitable. The
black seals are the most numerous
though occasionally leopard seals are
killed and sometimes sea lion These
latter do not breed on the island, but on
Ix,, ell l.; Il 4.
yield large quantities of oil, and the
Chinese give from IS cents to 81 each fol
the long hairs which form the animals
moustache. The leopard seals seem tc
remain about the island but "a shor
time, the dams bringing forth their sin.
gle pup in the water, the youngsters
, padding off as though used to swim
ming
The black seals, on the contrary, bring
forth their pups on the rocks, and thei
young never enter the water except upor
compulsion until three or four months
old. The bulls of the latter kind of seal'
make regular annual trips to the islanC
to visit the cows, which remain there al
the year round. The bulls, on arriving
about the first of June, are very fat-st
much so that they can carry ballast il
the shape of smooth stones, to overcom,
, the tiotative powers of the quantity O.
blubber with which they are encountered
a These stones sometimes weigh four
pounds each, three or four of which ar
I carried in kind of false stomach provid
ed for the purpose.
: AS much as fifteen pounds of rocl
: have been taken from the stomach of
, single fish. After remaining just tive
Z months, amid incessant combats, tn
t bulls, poor in flesh and with all tn
e ballast thrown overheard, depart tc
recuperate, and return there next year
+ The cows remain, and also the female
r calves, but the bull calves leave abou
: the first of April, doubtless to be out O
q the way before the arrival of the fierc
I old bulls. The bulls yield on an averag
4 about eight gallons of oil, worth thi
I year about so cents per gallon. II
i December an onslaught is made upol
\ halfgrown pups, and vast numbers @
them are killed for the oil, of whicl
they yield about gallon each.