The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-08
FOXES roo TAME FOR GAME.
On tho Seal islands They Approach
Within Few Feet OF Man.
Foreat and Stream

On tho Seal Islands They Approach
Within Few Feet OF Man.
Forest and Stream.
Mr.. Henry w. Elliot, United States
treasury agent at the fur seal islands in
Boring sea, has just returned to his home
in the East after an absence of several
months at his post Of duty. Mr.. Elliot will
Immediately begin the preparation ofshis
report on the condition and prospects of
the fur seal fishery. Mr.. William Palmer,
of the National museum, Washington, has
also returned from summers collecting
with Mr.. Elliot, and he is very enthusiast
tic about the strange sights of the PARKWAY
territory and the splendid opportunity for
making natural history observations and
collections. Mr.. Palmer has secured q
very valuable series of skins of birds and
animals living on the island of St. Paul.
Among the birds there is one that has
never before been recorded from American
territory. 1t is a species Of cuckoo native
to the Asiatic continent, and will prove q
treasure In the national collection, as it
was great source of qualification to Mr..
Palmer, and . fine reward for his arduous
toll in securing it. To begin with, the bird
was found near seal rookery, and shoot
ing with an ordinary gun was strictly for
hidden. This ro0kery was at the extreme
northeast point Of the island, and the col
lector's cane gun was at the other end,
about fifteen miles away.
Foxes were so tame at the time of his
visit that they often circled about him out
of sheer curiosity, barking defiance at
distance of only a few feet. One very fine
example, quite unlike anything seen by
the natives before, and probably cross
between the blue and the white fox, is
among the rarities of his collection. This
fox was killed after most exciting expert
ence. Mr.. Palmer began firing at him
with his cane gun at distance of fifty
yards. but could not bring the bullet and
and the animal into the desired conjunc-
ton, and the fox was very much interested
in the whizz of the ball.
Whenever q bullet came near enough he
would bark furiously and run around in a
circle seeking to discover the cause of the
strange noise, the gunner being entirely
concealed behind some tall grass on one of
the sand dunes. Gradually the fox drew
nearer to the unseen hunter, and every
thing seemed to point to speedy and sue
cessful termination of the hunt, but I'M
luckily YIN in trying to remove .p tight shell,
the cylinder in the breech. Then began
lively struggle to extract the shell in
hurry.
The excitement was so intense, how
ever, that the fox approached almost
within arms length before the obstruction
was gotten rid of and new cartridge in
serted. Then, while the fox was chatter
ing away most earnestly, Mr.. Palmer, not
wishing to spoil the skull, took aim behind
the fore leg, but the bullet, ranging little
too far ahead, crashed through the legs
without killing the animal, which strug-
gled off behind sand dune and was appar-
emily lost beyond recovery. The col
lector, however, circled around In a
direction opposite to that taken by the
fox, and unexpectedly came upon him at
very short range, and this time sent bull
let squarely into one of his eyes and ended
the singular chase. Young foxes were
frequently seen, but were hard to kill
before escaping into their burrows.