The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-04-13
BIRDS AND CATS ABOUND
In the Strange Land Explored for
Specimens for the Great
i, Worlds Fair. q
Naturalist Dunn Visits the Little
Known and Curious Island
OF Guadalupe.
Wild Cats and Wild Goats Wore Numerous
Fleet Mexicans Hun tho Goata
Down On Foot.

Down ON Foot
George w. Dunn. tho naturalist and COL
leotor for the Worlds fair md different
educational institutions and MUSEUMS. has
been exploring the little known and curious
island of Guadalupe.
He tells a story almost a. strange ~ any
by Defoe. This island lies out in the Pacific
eighty miles off the Lower California coast
md almost opposite Cape San Sebastian.
1t is thirteen miles long and four vid and
ia made up of mountain and valley land.
the mountains rising to q height of 1900
feet. #s
An old crater. big enough to put 9 block
OF San Francisco buildings In, lies on tho
top Of tho mountain ridge. 1t Is q very
pretty island. but the wild waves dash
vsngefully around 1t. and il ia hard to make
a landing.
II went down there" said Mr.. Dunn. TO
a San Francisco Examiner reporter, Tin q
little e%even-ton sloop from San Diego, and
after a good deal Of trouble got ashore by
jumping on a piece Of projecting rock. l
was we'll rewarded by what / saw, for alto
gether it was about the %strangest place I
ever got into.
"The foliage was beautiful. The island
Is partly open and partly covered with
trees, consisting of three kinds Of palms,
cypress, pines, oaks and others. every one
different from those on the mainland. Tint
to me was a curious thing. They were only
eighty miles away, too. There Ia an edible
palm there. known as the crythea edulis.
and it is extremely handsome, AZ are in
fact all the other trees. The average diam
eter of the trees Is about a foot and a half.
II found a queer red woodpocker there
also. different from any l ever saw before.
1t is something like our family of fickers,
but larger and handsomer. There are none
like it in lower California.
II had not been on the island long till |
ran into bevies of odd little brown wrens.
They swarmed everywhere and were very
inquisitive. When ! sat down on rocks to
boots and look into my face inquiringly as
if to ask what l was doing there. They
were not afraid. for they knew extremely
little about man.
Tho only human beings on the islam d
were about twenty refractory Mexicans,
who were there to look after goats. Mex
leo uses it as q sort of C. penal COLONY, and
that is principally why they were there.
They wore not allowed to fire a gun, md
when they wanted any goats they had to
run tuem QOWu or lubsO theMs
LAS these goats have been there many
years. have increased to 10000 and become
wild az deers. you can judge what a feat 1t
was to get one Of them. AS l saw tho feet
greasers after them over the rocks ] was re-
minded strongly of the experiences of
Cruso in Juan Fernandez. IL was equally
As strange, and it was true.
The Mexicans ran with wonderful speed.
Up a mountain or down or sideways. it
made no difersnoo. And they almost al
~-uH~ rok &hNtN Syon n nx~ thn,- ,,,, ,-,..
piles OF rocks and along the edges of preci-
pices. f.
''Ihey were just as sure-footed as the
goats. and nothing is supposed to exool. IL.
indeed. to approach a goat in speed and
ability to climb safely over dangerous
places.
Sometimes they would get almost upon
them and then throw their ~lassoes. At
other times they would simply run a goat
down.. There was rarely ever more than
bones Of the dead goats are piled in places
many feet thick on the ground.
There are a lot of wildcats down there
too. Years ago somebody let loose some
domestic cats down there. You know how
fast they increase. There are lots OF them
there now. and everywhere over the hills
you may see both cats and goats. l sup
pose the cats live on both birds and hsh.
I he climate is SO advantageous, however,
that there is always varied animal life there.
Ouo Obu0t bstHHRo buluR i IOuNu, IN au-
dition to the many l have alluded to, was
that if I wauted any water 1 had to 20 up
hill to get it.. The springs are all on tor Of
the mountains. You mover find them down
by the shore.
while wandering about full of wonder
at what / saw ] found an old crater ON top
of tho mountain chain, midway in the
island. The dead crater was curious to be-
hold. 1t was about 800 feet across and
almost half that deep. All about it was
smooth and broken lava. Piles of basalt
were scattered here and there. Earth
quakes had shaken and half closed tho
crater.
"Ihe captain of my sloop was having a,
hard time outside. The wind came up
lively, and continued to blow steadily, 80
that l couldn't get aboard of her. The re-
suit was l had to stay on the island five
days. during which l had to live about all
the time on edible palms."
Mr.. Dunn is 70 vearys old, or ten years
older than Senator Stanford. Notwlth-
standing this he steps about like a boy.
soms months since he climbed the great
pines of Mount Diable for pine cones,
reaching dizzy heights. and taking tree
after tree successfully.
He has been more than forty years hunt
ing and collecting botanical specimens, and
has lived in camp much OF the time. He
says he expects to live twenty years yet,
and he looks as II he would.