The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-06-16
EDEN FOR sPoRTsMEN.
It Mey bo Found Along the Shores
Of Alaska.
It Il . Region That Actually Teens with
Bird Life : streams Filled with Gamy
Trout-An Old Hunters Live
IL Experience.

kxpcrleuCos
Alaska is chiefly known to the gen.
ernl public as the home and dwelling
place of the fur seal and place where
tourists go during the brief summer to
see some Of the grandcst scenery on this
continent, says the San Francisco
Chronicle. To speak of Alaska is to
suggest to the mind q picture of vast
glaciers, rugged, snow-capped noun
tains and irnpenetrable forests-a land
of desolation and silence.
How different from this mental pic
turc is the reality can only be under
stood after a trip taken to this land of
queer contrasts which will not only
cover the ground usually travcrsed by
tourists but extend westward along the
beautiful Aleutian archipelago, the
numerous islands in Behring sea and
the ice-girtlled shores Of tho Arctic
ocean. During six months of the year
all this region actually teens with life.
There is not an island or rocky ledge in
Behring sea which will not hold the OBJ
servers attention for hours If he be q
lover OF nature. with the myriads of
birds which find in the crcviccs of the
cliffs just the place to rear their young.
At st. George island. one Of the Pri-
bylov group, there is one particular
place that never loses its fascination for
the student Of bird life. The northwest
end of the island shows q perpendicular
mural cliff nearly one thousand feet
high, facing the sea. 1t is shattered
and broken into millions of shelf-likc
projections, buttresscs and pinnaclcs
by the action of frost, and during the
height of the breeding season every lit
tie crevice seems to contain bird.
There are INJURIES and gulls, kittywakes,
shags, puffins and all the known men,
bers of the sca-bird families. screaming
and chattering as II their very lives de-
pended upon making q noise.
But if the sight of SO many birds par
TALLY concealed by the rocks is inspir-
ing, the exhibition of life and energy is
overpowering when. Us something hap
pens, they are disturbed Then from
the face of this great cliff. a thousand
feet high and over mile long, cata-
ract of whirring. screaming, shrielling
birds pours down and toward the sea,
filing the air with On indcscribable,
deafening roar, and then, rising again,
they form long lines or fight, which
seem like parti-colored ribbons girdling
the island.
Leaving the Pribylov group and
steering to the northwest some two
hundred miles, the next land to be seen
is St. Matthew's island. Here, too,
birds abound, and as the island Is unin-
habited by man, the birds are free frcm
disturbance except from the natural
enemy, the fox, and IN occasional
polar bear. Around the edges of the
salt marshes found on the eastern end
of st. Matthew's elder ducks are found
in great numbers. The birds are but
indifferent flyers. and it is one OF the
amusing experiences Of the Arctic voy-
the clumsy bird TO get out of the way
of an approaching steamer. They fnd
It extremely difficult to rise from the
water, especially II there be no wind,
end an approaching vessel causes them
TO flap noisily along the surface for q
distance, and then, as II animated by q
single purpose, hundreds Of them will
dive. only to rcappear o few moments
later and struggle of again.
The lover of field sports would find o
gunner's paradise along the shores Of
the Arctic ocean in the summer season.
Curlew, snipe and ducks are SO plentiful
that one tires of shooting them. So far as
known the canvasback duck. 80 much
priced by gourmands, Is not found
north Of the Arctic circle; but. the do
licious little green and blue-winged
teal and toothsome mallard are found
everywhere along the coast and on the
banks of the streams, ,
During the last Of May, when the late
Arctic spring first shows signs Of open
ing. the natives begin to look anxiously
ssouthward for the coming 'Of the cn,-
pcror goose. This bird forms one6f the
principal articles Of food supply TO the
natives and during the inolting season
the slaughter Of the birds IS enormous.
Long nets are set scross the marshes
and the water fowl are driven into them
by the natives. Thousands Of young
birds nre killed In these drives by the
wasteful savages, who excuse them
selves by saying that they, will thus
prevent them being In the way'the next
drive. tss
One OF the handsomest smep' birds
found in Alaska. and one s6ording the
best sport for shooting, !, u the I'D phala-
rope. 1t Is abundant along the eoest
and on all the islands Of Behring sea,
arriving about June I, and Is common
until October 80. The Eight Of the
phalarope is very esFatic, end the GSn-
ner fond Of wing shootsng' has in this
bird an excellent chance TO test his skill.
Should the sportsman grow weary Of
tramping over the haif-doodcd natS and
timber plains OF the, northern coast.
which form the breeding places 6f the
wsdcrs and snipe, and desire lexs
monotonou gunniug. let him land ON
any one of the Aleutian islaads, and
there, high up on the sides Of the noun
tains, he win find the ptarmigan or rock
grouse. This beautiful bird frequcnts