Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-11-13

drOs The island (of st. George), literally filling
the air with their fluttering forms an1 the rush.
Ing SOUND OF their Swift-beatfng wings Ii Is q
most wonderful sight and sound. not paralleled
by anything else in the bird kingdom, I'm sure.
When ship gets among these countless fOck5
as they rest upon the surface OF the sea, she
makes wonderful connection, and the vessel
almost seems to be plOlCtsag her trdu HIou1h
SOLID feHdS Of birds as through fields of kelp or
sea,weed. When the female arries are DIS
turbed on the cliffs where they lay their eggs
Cthey make no nests but deposit their eggs On
the bare rock, and stand up straddling over
them, while Matching. looking like so many
bottles set On end. as close as they can be
stowed), II Is a marvellous sight to see them
take to the wing. Their flight makes a broad
moving sheet OF birds, reaching from thu cliffs
10 the water below. A person who has also
seen this sight describes II In these words and
his description is true, for have often seen the
same thing myself:
AS we land. the aries dy from their eggs off
az "a around for short distance, and then settle
hiiher and thither with the movement Of swell aud
tide, traied out over the water like great whip
sTmIiP PEE and alarms i out the birds
The hole vast hock is beating the air with a hua
dred thousar d wings In almost vain endeayor to
rise from the calm surface for these birds in still
weather have great difficulty in taking flight.
heavy swells or little wavelets lifts them gull on
water -
once saw an arrie come up out OF the water
near the ship, (for they dive deep and swim
long distances under the surface) and the sud-
den appearance of the great vessel towering
above the poor little things head. frightened It
so that It made frantic efforts TO take flight,
and broke one OF its wings In the attempt, and
lay futteriDg and struggling In the waves.
AFTER A STALLION.
While the Aeuts were gathering eggs | went
after sea-lon lying upon the 'ocks below. 1
cDfp I'm LOT np
head near the water. ready to roll himself Off
into the sea at the first approach Of danger
Advancing cautiously, under cover OF the rocks
got within thirty or forty yards OF the leyIa-
than without being discovered: but as the AMI
NAL lay with his head close to the rock, could
no. see him well enough to fire, except when he
raised his huge body, uneas1ly looking about
for the enemy. whom he evidently smelled or
suspected, though out of sight. did not dare
10 move from my place OF concealment. lest the
sea Lon should see me and be off before could
get bead" On him. just then a native boy
came along the edge Of the Cliff above, looking
Tor me. L m0tiOned to him to walk carefully
along In the direction OF the sea-lion, to make
him lift himself up above the rock that con-
cealed MIN from ne, and give me chance to
Iire The boy did as l wished, and the sea-
HON body very soon projected itself into view
as he reused himself TO the approaching danger.
He was too much alarmed to stay in that place
long, and made for the water without stand
ing on the order OF his going My only chance
was to fire at him as he moved; but the shot il
1t struck. did not disable him, and he got away
Into the sea. He kept swimming around In a
circle, little way from the shore. IN a daze1
sort OF way, with his head above the surface.
every now and then opening his capacious
mouth as though he was In pain. Perhaps nv
shot went into his head or throat. The skin OF
The sea-l1on Is so thick and tough that 1t takes
powerful rifle to send bullet through It, |
used only small-cal1bered carbine. The lion
nnally disappeared. He must have weighed more
than two horses of ordinary size. The natives
in
the evening tt was still quite light and then We
all went back to the dome (houSe) drank more
chpand went to bed, intending to be up and start
for St Pauls Island at I o'clock the next
morning.
THE RAIDING BLUE FOXES
Before returning to the house, however, l
made the complete circuit of the island, follow
Ing the Cliff margins, and observing the count
less nesting birds On the rocks below. The
chance to do this could not be surpassed;I could
iook right down into the nests OF a thousand
ords at one time. All along the Cliff margins
were narrow fox trails beaten out In the sod, so
often had these Willy and persistent enemies OF
tne pros tTod the ground in search Of eggs and
these little blue foxes-the only wild enemy of
the bird life on these 1slands-ts astonishing.
Iney Will dash at O full run from the level
ground above right down the face of an almost
perpendicular cliff, snatch eggs from the nests
or seize the birds sitting on them, and carry
tnem oack to the top OF the Cliff, where they
Ieisurely devour them sitting On the grass.
l saw lots OF empty shells and birds feathers
scattered about. You can almost always see
foxes hanging about the cliffs watching chances
TO steal eggs or catch birds. They are very bold,
and don't run far away even when man ap-
They will stand and bark at you,
and sometimes follow you, coming 10 behind
you within few feet even. When chased
they run into their holes among the rocks
One OF these fellows put himself In the path
right before me, and shot him through the
neck. They are wise and cunning tOO-two or
three foxes have been known to drive a young
seal oefore them TO their holes, making him
prisoner and at the same time making him
furnish his own transportation to the point OF
The next morning. July 4th was
windy. and the sea was too rough for us to ven
lure out In our beat. SO we had to lay by till
! O'Clock In the afternoon. when we set out for
81. Paul with our plunder and spolls. The winu
was still blowing fresh. the waves were pretty
high, and the surf rolled over us sometimes:
gut we made the voyage safely In Our staunch
boat, under oars, as the wind was in our faces.
Al $50 o'clock we landed in the cove at st.
Pauls village, tir ed. hungry. cold and wet.