The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-22

Polar Bears Gone-The Walrus Vanish
ing-Abundance of Birds and Fish.


We are indebted to DR.. w. s. Hereford,
returned from long service on st. Paul
island. Boring sea, for interesting notes on
the animals and the natives of that distant
province of the United States.
1t has been stated that polar bears some
times come down on the ice to st. Paul,
but the doctor did not see any during his
protracted stay, and thinks they do not
occur how. The flesh of this bear is said
to be palatabe unless the creature has
recently been feeding on walrus, or the
decayed meat of whales. III. w. Elliott
has just informed us that he really liked
the polar bear steaks which he ate on ST.
Matthew's island in 1874. According to
Mr.. Elliott the last of this species seen on
St. Paul was shot at Bogaslow in 1848.
Walrus island, lying six miles east of
st. Paul, is still inhabited by walrus, but
solely by males.
The red fox is occasionally brought to
the island by ice and does not long escape
the vigilance of the hunters. The blue
fox is very common.
Among the winter birds are the common
migratory robin of the East and the beau
tiful snow bunting (Pectrophenax nirdEis).
Cormorants, gulls and harlequin ducks
are present in ordinary winters, but in
severely cold weather none except the
first remain. The chief gull of the hunt
ers is the great burgomaster. A small
wren occurs on st. George island, but not
on st. Paul. Ducks are excessively abun-
daut in the open water along shore in
spring, and vast numbers of them are
shot.
Cod and halibut are not common until
in the fall when sea lions are not numer-
Gus. The natives catch some very large
halibut on hooks; the small ones are
greatly prosecuted and almost entirely
destroyed by seals and sea lions. Sculpins
are always around in abundance. The
people catch them around the rocks and
especially at the boat landings. They use
very short line and bait the hooks with
seal meat or any animal substance that is
handy. Among the sculpins there is a
scaly species, called the kdh-log, which is
very palatable.
The natives have invented a new in
toxicating drink which they have, in a
spirit OF fun, styled sos'kie. S0s'kie means
sucking bottle and furnishes very ap-
propriate name for the new tipple. The
beverage is made from condensed milk
with the addition of jellies, sweet crack
ers, or some other materials containing
sugar, and ferment. The stringent regu-
iatloiis preventing the sale OF coarse sugar
IN quantities sufficient for the moon
sinners purpose, he resorts to all sorts of
expedlents to outwit his white brethren
and prolong his sprees. sos kie is the latest
and one OF the most insinuating products
of his craft.
The practice of medicine among these
Aleuts has brought to DIR. Hereford many
surprises. He finds that opiates are
nearly inert in their circulation and enor-
nous doses OF castor oil can be taken with
only slight effect. A native will dispose
of ten times as much epson salts as a
white man and be none the worse for the
wear. So-called dropsy and heart disease
are very common after prolonged tarrying
at the quass bowl, the heart being gener-
ally located almost anywhere in the trunk,
but free use OF salts is always a specific IN
these forms of disease.
The natives trap foxes in winter and
hunt the sea lion and hair seal; they also
XIII the birds mentioned in preceding
UaragraDh