Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-31

How the STUPID Brit va. ESnac'led on the
Head-Eood foe Ir,rae I~'s1tlers.


The form of fhe aux Is familiar to al
who have read illustrated accounts of
earl J voyages to Greenland. L was the
penguin OF theNorth Atlantic 1t had
a squattE, gooSe-Shaped body, and was
from twenty-eight 70 thirty inches long
on the average. 1t had wings. howev-
er. that We're only between Eve and six
inches long. and it was therefore inca
pablo of flight. 1t is pictured in the
GU sea stories as sitting up solemn and
dignlhed in ranks along the sand and
on the bleakest and most barren coasts
as the sailors approached the land in
boats. 1t was not easily frightened by
the approach of man, who was appar-
emily its sole enemy. When disturbed.
1t waddied away about as fast as man
could walk, taking very short steps.
but taking them rapidly. On account
of its gait it was called the wobble in
some of the early books, such as the
work of John JOSselyn. Gent, on New
England Rarities, printed in 1872.
At that time and for 4 hundred years
later it was the custom of many OF the
fishermen frequenting the banks of New
Foundland, particularly the French, to
victual their vessels with the flesh of
the aux, killing and sailing down as
many as would last for the entire cruise.
Their method of taking the birds was
the simplest possible. The ships boats
were rOwed into some quiet cove fire.
quented by the auks, and moored n few
feet from the land. Then planks were
laid from the beach or the rocks to the
gunwales of the boats, and the auks
were driven on board in single file I'M
til the boats were loaded. A man with
4 club knocked them on the head as
they reached the boat, and dumped
them under the thWarts. The aux sell
dom offered any resistance, but occa-
sionally it would snap at a man with
its stout bill, and would infiict very
painful wounds. In such cases, the old
accounts say, the sailors skinned the
bird alive out of revenge.
When driving the birds on the boats
it was necessary to station a man with
to keep them from dropping off into
the water. Once ahoat the awkward
waddle becomes the swiftest and most
graceful of motions. No other water
fowl could approach the wonderful
speed Of the aux on the water; indeed
it could swim as rapidly as some of the
more numbering birds could fly.
Although on account of its tishy food
it was somewhat oiIywhen in good con-
ditioG, it was nevertheless 50 much es,
teemed by the sailors that its numbers
diminished continually from the time
the banks of New Foundland began
to be much frequented, so that by
the beginning of the nineteenth centu-
~ it was no longer hunted for food.
So few were to be had that they were
not worth the time required to take
them. However, in the year 1907, a
British privateer varied its occupation
of pursuing French merchant vessels
and impressing Yankee sailors by 90
inc to the islands off Iceland for a sup
ply of fresh aux meat. Great numbers
of the birds were killed, many being
left dead that could not be removed be-
cause the ship had all she could use.
Three years later the people of the Fa-
roe islands, being threatened with star
walton on account of a failure in the
fisheries, visited Iceland and about
completed the destruction begun by the
privateer.
That the aux never recovered from
these blows, even on the coasts best fit
ted for its maintenance, was due to the
fact that the aux laid but one egg a
year. 1t made no nest, but deposited
the egg on the bare rock. Itwas an as
tOnishingly large egg, averaging near
ly five by three inches in length and
diameter. 1t was shaped much like a
big California pear, being very small
at one end, popularity of all birds
eggs that were laid in exposed places
as this was. Being small at one end it
would, when the wind moved it, simply
roll around in the are of very small
circle. 1t was OF creamy white color,
irregularIy marked with brown and
black patches.-NeU Y0rb Sun.
Reaching Far North for Trade.
The Minne-Paulians think that the
far Northwest Canadian Peace River
Valley, containing 1000 square miles
of prairie (about the area of Indiana),
and lying north Of 50 . can be util-
lied for agricultural purposes. The
Tribune, speaking of that
section of the country says:
The Peace River traverses the Atha-
basca territory III northeasterly di-
rection until it empties into Lake
The soil in the river val
ley and the plateau bordering upon it
is for the most part a fine silt and its
fertility is great. The land is partly
prairie and partly wooded. The total
area of land with soil well suited to
agriculture is not less than $4,000
square miles. ''The luxuriance OF the
natural vegetation on these prairies,"
says DR.. Dawson, sis truly wonderful,
and indicates not alone the fertility of
the soil, but the occurrence of suf-
ficient rainfall"
The isotherms, it would seem, are
more favorable to this part of the
British Northwest than to other parts
Of the Dominion. At any rate, it is
claimed that the season in the Peace
River country is long enough for the
ripening of wheat, oats, barley, and
the ordinary root crops and vege-
tables. The principal drawback is
late and early frosts. The snow dis
appears early, and cultivation begins
about the end of April. Horses
almost invariably winter out well with
out requiring to bed" says DR.. Daw-
son. On the whole, the climate of the
Peace River district compares favora-
bly, with that of the St. Lawrence Val
ley.