The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-22

IN Charge o. Fur seal lHyestssat ions ions.
san Francisco; The " nitahsf ~ - III
Ia
Probably 70 higher authority exists To-
- vuoa the fur seal and al questions
,aeFtzfsainE 70 ia habsts and CONDITIONS
than DR.. David starr Jordan. president OF
Leland Stanford. Jr.. University.
A. United States commissioner IL charge
81 ne fur seal investigation. be has had
unparalleled advantages for the study o.
8 subject on which he was already hlsn
authority, when be was appointed %
President Cleveland 20 represent the
United States tn a controversy that VI as
.ast becoming ar international menace 10
the peace q great nations.
Last year pr. Jordan published as pre-
IimaHary report his Observation on TIC
Fur seals Of the Pribii0f Islands
But IN this latest work, AatAA anu
Kotik,~ apparently written far from the
official standpoint OF the scientist, or sIat-
isftcfsu. Esth saca tender sympathetic ana
poetic feeling that u may well oe calioa
tae saga Of thc seal, DT. Jordan mas
struck his hardest blow Tor The are anu
liberty Of the "silken haired ones, as ne
lovingly aenomina;es them. Aud IL us
every line We feel how profoundly the
heart OF the writer has been touched oy
the sorrows and prosecutions OF the ssaL
Or Jordan'a book Is a sort OF dramaticA4
story. the pers0n8e OF Tl.en are AL srats'
except one man. Apoilon, CHIEF OF The
.Aist Islands and the destroyer, ana
few Of the other creatures no tnhabt me
islands. such as Amogada, the wairus;
Chlguogto. the sea otter. BObrls. her son.
I,iehkao, the blue fox; Epalka, the sea
parrot. IEogh. the hair seal. siVuteh, ne
gray sea Ion; Eaqua. his wife, ana Cav
srushka. the great white Sui, etc Ihe
principal actors are Afagh. a beach master
81 rrtH "a
Eofik their child. UnEa. old Atagn
brother: Polsi. Matka's brother. aolo-
sfIak. Kotlk's elder brother. Minoa and
Iakutha sisters OF K0tlk, Enn0tha. Mat
kas sister and Annak. Ennstha's child
il lH the manner Of iife and fate OF these
animals. VINO seem invested with human
attributes. that Dr. jordan has deiineated
IN this tale OF Tho Mist Islands
He begins By saving This IA a true
story Tor 1 knew Matka before Kouk was
born. when she was very beautiful. From
the little window Of the cabin in which /
write these words / can look across the
salt lagoon and the messy hills OF the
Mist Island. blue with hareoelis and spring
yiolefs.. 90 the black Tolstoi head. where
the great surf IL breaking. Men call these
cliffs Tolstoi the strong one. because they
are so dark and heavy. Here. among the
broken columns of black basalt was Mat
ka's home. and here k0tik was born.
And 50 the story moves on with its sym
pathetic recital OF the doings and daily lie
Of these interesting creatures. giving US
the most scientific and Intimate descrip-
ton OF the habits and nature OF The seal
that has ever been written. albeit IL Is
done in a way to impress q great lesson,
to arouse our sympathes. and 10 make
our blood bolt with indignation, that these
harmless animals. with their almost hu-
man affections. should suffer the horrible
abuses and crueities TO which tney nave
been subjected by the brutal fur pirates,
who have thFonged Alaskan waters for
more than twenty years.
The authors style IS admirable In It's
terse and at the same time poetic dietion;
the story fascdnates while it lastructs. and
one feels that this pathetic and beautiful
story Of -Aatka and kotik. VIII do more
than volumes OF dry scientific and stalls
teal writing could accomplish for the fu
ture protection OF these jewellers OF The
Mist Islands
The book is beautifully illustrated with
forty-four striking and lovely photo
graphic reproductions. To these are
added over tsirty pen sketches by Miss
Chloe Frances Lesley, a student in zool-
ogy in Leland Stanford. Jr., university.
There Is also a map OF 81. Paul island.
prihiiof group. and The Calendar Of the
Mist Islands. In this calendar Or Jor-
dan gives a diary Of the movements Of
the seals beginning January ] and ending
November Is. These notes convey much
scientific information, which supplements
the story and adds value 10 the book.
=
FAMILIAR FEATURES OF THE ROAD
SIDE. TIE Flowers Shrubs. Birds and
Insects. By r. Schuyler Mathews. With
one Hundred and Sixty Drawings by
the Author and Many Of the Songs Of
our Common Birds and Insects. New
York: II. Appleton & Co.
To the lover Of nature who in his walks
along the country roads has observed this
tiny flower. that blossoming shrub, has
heard the buzz aud whirr Of myriad In
sect life or listened eutrauced 20 the car
rol Of the birds. this book recalls countless
pictures. as we feel our memories STIRRED
by the exquisite bi,s - description. Here
In are plants and flowers described whose
humble wsyside growths We long have
known and loved. but % whose name and
species we have been ignorant Mr. Math-
ews gives the common names of our way
side friends as well as the botanical one
and as thu average reader IL very far from
being a scientist. the plan c0mmends ifseif
and tho book deserves 20 be the guide
book par excellence OF the familiar way
xlfe. The author takes flower. bird and
inscct as * comes along and acquaiuts his
reader With the beauty and charactertsti-s
% each IN turn. MIR Mathews SAYS: zone
~ the FIRST things which tmprcssas the
observer 81 nature is her inGnitude.
Always variety. endless variety, never any
senseless repetition In nature: she gives
us a serial story which g newer fully told.
The book follows natures calendar. its H.
distractions beginning with that earliest
harNnEer OF spring. the seiicately tinted
end family scented hepatica or liverwurt
t4epatica triioha) and goes on through
81 e - A.
nancy a. the autumn with tts deem hueSi
flowers. the glowing gorSeousncss Of va
r~egated leaves and the splendid coloring
az birds butterflies. beetles and reptiles
NJ Mathews writes quite as lovingly and
afpr@ciaflvh}y 90 birds and an winged
thIugs. - the httle res squirrel and MS
tiny coueia. chspmunk. az tinEed With a
poetic feeling ana rare insight into rs-
fuTc's beautiful mysteries Tie also give 8
examples 81 written notes CT the son-s o.
various b,r,is anf insects
The book Is simply and chsrmlncly
written and must prove a delight 20 al
readers who have the least interest IN he
study ~ nature.
The illustrations are from drawings nv
NT Mathews 81 which he has ~.pr,s.fii ,s,.i
bird insect ana rower eorr,s. ana bits %
landscape. with much fidelity ana srec-
tiveness. wh'ch saA greatly 20 the sttrae-
tivensss x the BOX.
in p}.ia English foc Beginners By Ma
bel Csaccd WRIGHT and Elslett Genes.
New York; The Macmillan Company.
Mrs wr}zhf's fo-snsr books ard Sts,dies
- eiTi RIA have ALREADY pax her 90 ;hs
front rank ~ enthusiasts tsroaxhouf
tie eiche. Ia thkx latest volume wes,h =
dedicated '~ro al bows $40 girls veo 1aee
Rf~lss ~rH xEaA n fr-ssfaef fAsFes z1- p "a