The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-02-13
TENN, FEBRUARY l3, 1879.

natural scenery, beautiful streams anu
waterfalls. On March 10, 1877, he took
an excellent photograph of the great
boiling lake never before seen in quiz
escent state. "In Dominica" he said,
"there are an immense number of boil
ing springs, and when camping out we
used to put eggs in a bag, and lower
them by string into the water. In a
few minutes they were completely boil
ed" The Carib men, the naturalist
says. are strong hardy race, and they
used to carry his heavy boxes on their
heads for hours with apparent ease.
The women are not particularly preatty
but they are remarkable for the extra
ordinary length Of their hair, which
frequently reaches nearly as low as the
knees. Their love for jewelry leads
them, when they can procure it, to en-
belish themselves lavishly. From Do
minica Mr.. Ober went to Atigna, where
he shot a specimen ofan owl not hither-
to known. 1t lives in holes and rocks,
and is about as large as an ordinary
screech owl. Later In the year he re-
turned to Dominica, and went thence
to st. Vincent, where he secured seven
specimens of entirely new birds. One
ofthese the natives called the "Sull'riere
bird" The rumors about 1t were not di-
similar to the stories he had heard of the
"Myriarchus Oberi." He could find
nobody who had seen it, and it was
known only by its voice. The natives
assured him that it was invisible, and
there was no use in his going after it,.
Certainly naturalists and others had
searched for the birds for 80 years, but
no specimens had ever been secured.
Accompanied by an old colored man,
Mr.. 0ber, despite Of all discouragments,
ascended the mountain and encamped
beside the crater Of the volcano of ST.
Vincent, which so years ago, was in
eruption and covered the island with
ashes. 1t is said that these ashes drift
ted more than $50 miles to thewindward
at that time, and descended upon an
other island, IA phenomenon which is
accounted for by the theory that they
rose above the current of wind close to
the earth, and getting into higher
current were carried in direct oppOsit
direction. Mr.. Ober and his attendant
slept in cave ut an elevation of 5000
feet above the sea level. The crater was
,0OOfeet deep, and is said to be one of the
most nearly perfect in the world. 1t is
almost exactly round, and has a circum-
ference of three miles. At the bottom
is beautiful green lake. At night the
naturalist could hear the notes of the
bird he was in search OF ; but although
he watched carefully, three days elapsed
before he saw a specimen. At last he
was successful however, and shot one.
"I had to retrieve my own birds" he
said, "for all around the crater the long
thick grass was infested with serpents,
and the old collerd man could not be
induced to go into it. Luckily | had a
pair of boots made of the hide Of an alli-
gator that | shot in Florida seven years
ago, and | was not afraid of the snakes.
Mr.. Ober secured altogether six speci-
mems of the "Soulfriere," and when he
brought them down from the mountains
the natives flocked enthusiastically a.
round him, and stared with amazoment
ut his prize. For same time persons
called upon him, and asked him to let
them see the bird whose bodily existence
they had long dc ubted.