Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-09-12
TREASURES OF THE SEA.
Interesting Collection from the
Coronado Islands.

Interesting Collection from the
Coronado Islands.
The marine collection at the light
house has been enlarged by yacht
load OF sea urchins, abalones, starfish.
MOSES, eggs and seal skins which Har-
ry Israel, the son of the keeper.
brought in the other day from cruise
aronnd the Coron ado Islands. He was
accompanied by Henry Gerrui, of Bal
last Point. and they remained away a
week fishing. collecting and hunting.
AT the east island they found schoon-
er with Il party OF Americans who were
fishing and sealing. There were two
parties OF Portuguese at work at the
western island.
Israel said that he and Gerrul Sc
cured fifty hair-seals in one day. They
shot the large ones and killed the
young ones with clubs. There are three
seal rookeries on the rock points OF tine
west side of the west island and two on
the east island Israel, who has OBJ
served their habits, says that they are
clannish, and that the seals of one
roohery never mix with the others.
The females are covered with a fine
hair while that OF the males is much
coarser The color Of the young is q
dark drab, but the old ones are a
brownish yellow. The breeding season
is nearly over, then the sea-bulls will
disappear and not return until next
spring. Where they go to is a mystery
that has never been explained. They
swallow quantity OF small stones for
ho1 ,,,hi oil in fnl
stomach or ballast bag" rs the
sailors call it, until they return. when
they spit them out Mrs. Israel has a
number of these greenish cobbles at
her museum. A bucketful is about
the quantity of stones required TO bal
last an ordinary seal.
Mr. Israel said the west island was
OF solid rock with IA coating OF loan on
the west side. 1t was there that they
found the mutton birds, which burrow
like mole in the ground and come out
only at night. After it became dark
the explorers listened for the whirr of
the birds, and when il came they struck
out at random with stones and sticks,
and when they heard something ilutter
on the rocks would know that they had
been successful The bird is n trihe
larger than IL quail and has short, stub
by wings. resembling those of n pen
gum. They are nearly black, with
some white on the breast and toward
the tail. Their legs are short and the
beak is longer than the quail's. Their
flesh is said to be palatable, but the e rgs
only were tried They are pullet size
and white, and Israel said were the b t
sea-fowl eggs he ever tasted. He
brought a number of them and also the
eggs of the gull and shag.
In n cave on the west island he found
n new kind Of sea urchin. very beauti-
full and numerous. Instead of the usual
purple and black colors it was a brown
ish-red, and was some four inches in
diameter. He also found an abelone
the size of n brown bean, which is
much smaller than the least in the nest
at the lighthouse.
Mr.. lsraers formula for tanning the
skin of hair-seals is to first soak them
in II solution of alum and salt. They
must then be tackled up against a fiat
surface with the inner side out, and
have to be scraped daily for ten days
in order TO get off all the blubber. =
San Diego (Cal.) Sun.