The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

whether had better try to get him or not,
but then made up my mind that he was
worth having, and that would try.
81 sized up the situation the best
could and then 1 tackled it. Now, don't
mind saying that there was commotion
around there. You see, had big steel
gaff about SIX feet long I made two or
three drives at the turtle, and then 1
hooked the gaff in his right fipper. This
seemed to make him want to bite some
thing. So he reached up his head and
opened his mouth and tried to bite the
gaff or the rail of the dory. We had a
lively time of il, and for some minutes l
really did not know who would come out
ahead, myself or the turtle. He thrashed
all around it with his fippers tried to
upset me and to oite holes in the boat but
managed to keep clear OF him.
''You see, l had him hooked solid, so he
stayed at his end of the gaff, while kept
a tight hold on mine. Whenever he got
chance he would try his jaws on the rail
of the dory, and inciden tally reach for me.
saw was going to have pretty hard
time of it, but 1 made up my mind TO give
him good try. After he had founced
around and splashed awhile tried to get
ahold of his fipper. In the struggle one
of my oars slid overheard, but as luck
would have it it dIifted the same way that
the dory was going and so I managed to
get hold of it again.
'After long fight 1 succeeded in get
ting hold of the end of his right fipper.
Ny next aim was to get rope fastened to
him. 1 had rope with an eye splice IN
I Ia a eli n nd f0r lyoI .
over his flipper, hauling it down tight.
While I was doing this the turtle was
doing his best to bite the rope off. After
1 had got one end of the rope good and
tight around the fipper I took the other
end and made balance. Then 1 watched
my chance and got it on the other fipper.
"The turtle would not have it that way
at all. First he would try to break away
with one fipper and bit off the moose
Then he would try the other side. After
a long struggle I managed to get the
turtle over on his back. Then hauled
him snug against the stern of the dory,
and started in to tow him to the shore.
Don't get the idea that it was an easy
thing to do, for the wind and tide were
both against me. However, after about
three hours hard row 1 landed the turtle
on shore, and got some people to help me
take care OF it. / am sure he is more than
a hundred years old, for anybody can see
that he is an old.timer. He is fairly cov-
cred with barnacles, and looks not unlike
the hull of a ship that has been under the
water for good many years"
Clear over the other side of the conti-
nent, a bird fancier of Oregon has secured
three curiositIes just as nots bic in their
wav as the big turtle landed by the Cliff
islander. The trio of natural wonders
consist OF three white crows. They are
rare birds indeed, and one might travel
several months of Sundays where crows
abound without dreaming that such a
thing as a white crow was in existence.
These are genuine articles. however, all
three, and, oddly enough, with them is q
brother. full blooded brother, as black as
the pIackest ace of spades. The owner OF
these curious feathered specimens is E. A.
Stuhr, the Seventh-street bird man, OF
Cottage Grove, Or. They were brought to
him by F. M. Veatch, who found them IN
a nest in the vicinity of the Bohemian
mines, not far from Cottage Grove The
curious part of 1t all is that Mr.. Veatcn
found the three white crows and the
black one in one nest, so there can be no
possible dispute regarding the fact that
they are all of the same family.
Mr.. Stuhr says regarding his curious
property: 'In all the twenty-seven years
that have been bird tancier, never