The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-22
MAY WIPE
OUT BIRDS.
Japanese Raid in
Small Islands
| Serious.
scientists FEAR
| SERIOUS RESULTS
Feathers and Down the Objects OF
Attack and All Ages
Are Destroyed.

TN THE OPINION of Dr. David Starr
a have been in the city recently there
is danger of the bird life upon the
many small Islands of this group being
wiped out or at least seriously dimin-
ished by the raid of the Japanese. This
conclusion is reached from the fact
that it is believed that the party of
Japanese which was hunting birds on
Midway Island when the Iroquois went
there last year have been replaced by
another party, left there when the
this spring.
From the fact that there was so
much work done by the Japanese at
Midway, it is thought that there were
other parties operating upon the small
islands to the west, and if this is the
case there will be much damage done to
the bird life. The party of six men
found upon Midway by Captain Pond
was engaged in the collection of feath-
ers and down, the varieties of birds be-
| ing taken unfortunately The attack
upon the birds was made in the most
| unusual manner, as the young and the
| old were being killed without any
choice The old birds were taken as
often as the young and many of the
young were left to die from want of
| food.
| The birds on the islands are princi-
palIy the albatross or goney, the tern,
the bo'sun bird and the loon. They are
| so tame that they may be taken by
| hand and robbed of their feathers or
| killed without any weapons at all.
When they were found the men had
collected a large quantity of feathers
and were prepared for a stay of six
months more. This fact was reported
to the Department at Washington and
Captain Pond was given orders to make
| a yearly trip to the islands to report
upon any squatters that might be
found. This was not done owing to the
many duties of the commander of the
| Iroquois, owing to the absence of Cap
| tain Merry. Now the year is too far
| advanced to make such a trip in as
small vessel as the Iroquois. AS it
| is, however, there would be little utility
| in a visit owing to the fact that there
| is no authority for the stoppage of the
killing of the birds, only call for re-
port upon any depredations.
| That the concession of the bird and
| fish privilege of these islands is val
liable is shown by the fact that soon
after the last years trip of the Iroquois
there was an offer to take a lease of the
Midway Islands made by the Japanese
| Consul to Governor Dole. There was
no action upon the proffer of the Jap
anese except the sending to the Consul
| Of a complete statement of the small
| islands of the group. 1t is thought that
the plan Of the Japanese was to secure
| the exclusive rights to the hunting and
| fishing privileges and then work them
| for their utmost limit.
| Commander Pond said yesterday that
| though the scientists were afraid that
| there would be a serious cutting into
the bird life that the immense number
! of the birds of all species there made it
practically impossible to wipe them out,
as few years of rest from hunting
would see the islands as we'll stocked
as before. Without doubt, he said, there
would be parties sent to other islands
where there are birds.