The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-24
THE PRIDIL0F GROUP.
RESULT OF THE OBSERVATIONS OF
TREVOR kISCsID.
Valuable Collection of Specimens
I'm Natural History Peculiar 10 the
Those of the Mammoth - \ New
Way 10 Get skeletons of BIRDS

T~sw,- Kf1-aid Is delighted w.tA me
results a his rrip 70 the PTt6slor islaIi4s-
He wax one % the voluntary ASSISTANTS =
n David starr Jordan. tns United states
commissioner IN charge cf fur seal irFes-
-szaftors for rses and Iss7. and speaE the
months OF July. August and SEPTEMBER u
ths FAR North. The important selsfa A44.s
results OF Commissioner Jordan s9tA
wIu ~ published BY the government II a
extensive work 70 appear cary neN1
s.-3ug I Wish 20 wriss about few q tAe
experiences q the representative o. ne
University OF Washington on TINS iAst
summers expedition.
As was stated IN former article IN ms
usosr. Trevor Kincaid Is q born natural
ist- That phrase conveys weird q
meaning 10 every one who has sought
even In a small degree 10 trace nature
through her various win9ings 20 her most
concealed recesses" Every portion OF
his summers outing was flied with aet-
i've. earnest work. and some Of the results
are surprising even 70 himself. aec0s-
toned. as he is. TO the discovery OF 50
many forms Of life new 20 the scienunc
world.
At every stopping place the moments
were used for the examination and coli
lection OF natural history objects. Moth
ing seemed TO escape his vatchful eyes.
As a result ne has brought home thoo-
sands Of bugs, plants and other speel-
mems. The party was taken from sifsa
to Tualaska In the United States fish
commission steamer Alhatross Landings
we're made On Kadisk ISLAND. karluk.
Uugs and Belkovsky.
At Unalaska a rich aora was observed.
Mr.. Klncaid says that IL seems as though
the fora Of Northern America here meets
and blends with the fora OF Northern
Asia Climbing hin back of rnaiaska.
a view is obtained Of fifty-five mountain
peaks. Dutch Harbor and Unalaska are
both in the one haTbor. Dutch Harhor.
where most CT the government steamers
land is an island about one and one-haf
miles from Unalaska. There is a curious
salt water lake on this island. 1t is about
go feet from the shore and has no visible
connection with the ocean, though its
waters rise and fall with the tide. prob
ably through the strata Of gravel or some
subterranean passage. In this land-locked
salt lake Mr.. Kincaid collected some spe-
cimens Of star fishes and Jelly fishes.
While many other islands were visited.
and specimens were obtained over a wide
range OF territory the most interesting
work was done on S.. Paul and St George
islands OF the Pribilof group. All these
islands seem 10 have been made by vol
canic action In comparatively recent geo.
logic times. In fact, some of the very
numerous volcanoes are still active. Capt.
Keene. the pilot, routed Mr.. Kincaid out
Of bed one night 10 observe the eruption
from one Of these. There are numerous
craters of extinct volcanoes on St. Paul
and St. George islascs.
most interesting investigation was
made In one Of these craters. Large ifs
sures In the rocks were noticed. and a
party Of seven provided themselves with
candles and undertook an exploration.
They soon found themselves in a series of
large caves, several hundred feet long.
The walls Of the caves were smooth as
glass, as though the lava had been forced
out through them by some great force Of
steam. Overhead hung great stalagtites
Fungous growths with beads of moisture
lii up the cavern as a veritable diamond
palace or the fairies. At some places the
noor sounded hollow, as though a few
blows Of a sledge hammer would open I'D
another series OF subterranean chambers.
No such effort was made, however. for
fear mass OF rock would be Jared loose
from the roof and destroy the whole par
~. On the floor OF one Of these caves was
found a most surprising collection Of
bones. There were bones OF birds. OF what
are thought TO be polar bears. and teeth
and bones that Enthusiastically belong 10
the mammoth. These bones formed a
great mystery. They were too large TO be
the leavings Of foxes meals. though the
place may have been the den of polar
bear. The bones were all carefully pre-
served and taken 10 Stanford university.
but they VIII probably be sent 10 tho
Smithsonian Institution. where Mr. Lu-
cas- the noted osteOlogist. VIII determine
their Identity The party who made this
exploration was as follows: Msssrs. Kin
caid. Greeley and Snodgrass. biologists:
Warner and Farmer. electricians. Adams.
artist and Mr.. Edwards. There was no
life In the caves. though Mr. Ktneaid kept
a sharp watch for the blind forms OF bugs
often found IN such places. The caverns
are In the side OF Mount Bogaslof. In the
center OF ST Paul island.
These caves. as regards the presence OF
lie. were very different from the lakes on
s.. Paul island. There are fifteen or
twenty OF these lakes and each one seems
10 have some peculiar characteristic feat
ure Of life pervadiuE Il. In one lake Is
found q small fresh water clam, the only
fresh water sheIldsh found on those ISL
ands. and found nov here else bat in this
one little lake Another lake mas a peclI-
liar little crustscean aS its characteristics
inhahitant This little erustacean looks
like a small horseshoe crab. less than an
inch long. II belongs TO the genus Apus
Another lake was literally alive with
form OF microscopic crustaceau. or
course collections we're made at these
lakes and a careful study Will be made OF
the materials thus obtained
The only mammals now found on these
islands besides the seals is a little shrew.
OF which number of specimens were OBJ
ta,ned. Ar. kincaid had his eyes open
for materials 20 assist In his work In com
sN.r
about 6fty Or sixty skeletons. He quickly
awaited himself Of a remarkable method
OF making skeletons. The waters OF Ber-
ing sea fairly swarm with small Crusfa-
ceans. called amphipods u is supposed
that these little animals form the main
diet OF the whales OF those northern wa
ters Strip the skin and outside flesh from
4 bird. put * in a can and sink Il into
Beriug sea and IN the short space Of half
an hour you Will have a perfect skeleton
of a bird n two hours these voracjous
lfttle crustaceaus viii clean for YOU 4
skeleton % a seal pup. s1d larger skels-
tons in proportion. Any one who has
tried 20 prepare a skeleton win readily
appreciate what a quantity OF time pa
thence ard labor such system viii save
Mr.. Ksncaid's frs. love Is hts bugs. he
was told before going north that there
wers few or no bugs on tHa Pvihilof ISL
aras Yet the scientists Rha had visited
those islands before were AZ loss 20 Sc
count S8r the fertilization and cr5ss-fsr-
ttI Eation ~ the flowers found there Sir
klncsi3 wzs-n5t or tEe islands q dAy BE-
fore ~ coal8 explain g. ai and before ne
left he had collected over 20 species -
nugs. many q which w.3 probably prove
70 - new TO scIeuce ore qusrter of these
bags are beetles one quarter flies cna
quarter microscopic flies and che cther
"a -ga.
-irusns u Zach were obtained. the coIlee-
tt8n containing several thousand spscs-
-.-.-a u ha..s-as No. q TIE n-as -