The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-08-07
TANENESS OF WILD ANNALS.
Instances From an Island Where Life
Is Protected.

That wild animals become extremely
tame is we'll known. The wild quail
of Southern California will enter gar
dens and nest there, and in the pro-
tected season l have seen a flock
standing in a county road, a jaunty
male between them, and my horse
moved, and then with reluctance.
Several years ago some residents
on one of the channel islands of South
ern California, says the Scientific
American, introduced number of
black-tailed deer, which were protect
ed to such an extent that in time they
discovered that they were privileged
characters and assumed nearly the
absolute contempt for human beings
held by the sacred birds of India, that
crowd men and women from the road.
They persisted in entering gardens,
day and night, destroying the plants,
and finally to locate them the dwellers
on the island had bells fastened to
them. One buck made his home near
the town of Cabrino and walked about
the place and over the hills with the
freedom of dog. When a boat land
ed of the pier the buck ran down to
greet the newcomers and share their
lunch, and became a welcome guest
at barbecues and lobster and clam
bakes.
Nearly all animal life is protected
at this island. have counted half
hundred bald eagles in an 11-mile
run, have seen them take large fish
from the water within easy gunshot,
and they build their nests on pinnacles
that are not difficult of approach. The
sea birds are equally tame. Gulls
gather in flocks a few feet from those
who feed them, in the winter flocks
of cormorants swim into the bays and
are 80 tame that the merely divide
when boat passes, and fishermen
often find that the cormorants take
off bait almost as fast as they can put
1t on. Gulls dash at bait, and l have
seen a long winged bird resembling
the petrol follow my line under water
at a cast. using its wings to fly along,
and take the bait, and at times scores
OF sea birds are seen in shore feeding
upon small shrimps, paying no at
tentiOn to observers photographing
them.
The most remarkable illustration of
tohCuCSS " NC seen mere ID IudL Oh
the sea lions. For ages the animals
have held possession of mass of rock
on the shore of the islands. A few
years ago many were killed by vandals,
but laws were passed, and for a num-
Der of years the sea lions have been
protected, and the rookery has in
creased in size until spit has recent
~ occurred and another settlement
has been established half way in the
island.
1t has been the custom for years
for fisherman in cleaning their fish to
toss the refuse into the bay, and the
sea lions formed the habit of coming
down to the bay at this time to dine
thereupon. At first only one or two
came; now band of two large bulls
and several females make their head
quarters at the bay, or spend most of
their time there, constituting a valu-
able sanitary corps, as they eat every
fragment of fish, the gulls joining in
the feast. When not feeding the sea
lions pass the time lying within a few
feet Of the beach, sleeping or playing,
the females and young leaping from
the water and going through various
tricks OF interest to the Ioker-on.