The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-11-10
TAMEHEss OF WILD ANIMALS.

That wild animals become extreme
1y tame is we'll known. The wild
quail of Southern California will en-
ter gardens and nest there, and in the
protected season I have seen flock
stand in country road, a jaunty
male between them, and my horse
not twenty feet away, moving, only
when I moved, and then with reluc.
tance.
Several years ago some of the resi-
dents of the channel islands of South
ern California introduced number
of blacktailed deer, which were pro-
tected to such an extent that in time
they discovered that they were privi-
legged characters, and assumed nearly
the absolute contempt for human be-
ings held by the sacred bulls 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 Cabrillo,
and walked about the place and over
the hill with the freedom of dog.
When boat landed off the pier the
buck ran down to greet the newcom-
ers and share their lunch, and be-
come a welcome guest at barbecues
and lobster and clambakes.
Nearly all animal life is protected
at this island. I have counted half a
hundred bald eagles in an eleven-mile
run, have seen them take large fish
from the waters within easy gunshot,
and they build their nests on pinacles
that are not difficult of approach.
The sea birds are equally tame Gulls
gather in hocks few feet from those
who feed them; in the winter focks
of cormorants swim into the bays and
and are so tame that they merely
divide when a boa passes, and fish
ermen often find that the cormorants
take off their bait almost as fast as
they can put it on. Gu1ls dash at
bait, and have seen long winged
bird resembling the petrol follow my
line under water at cast, using its
wings to fly along and take bait,
and at times scores of sea birds are
seen inshore feeding upon small
shrimps, paying no attention to OBJ
servers photographing them.
The most remarkable illustration
of tameness to be seen here is that of
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 van
dals, but laws were passed, and for
number of years the sea lions have
been protected, and the rookery has
increased in size until split has re-
Gently occurred and another settle
ment has been established halfway
up the island.
1t has been the custom for years
for fishermen in cleaning their fish
to toss the refuse into the bay, and
! ihs IL seaass liaiss fofmsd he ia asbisriSs, ),
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 headquarters at the bay, OF
spend most of their time there, con-
stituting a valuable sanitary corps
as they eat every fragment of fish.
the gu11s joining in the feast. Wher
not feeding, the sea liens pass the
time lying within a few feet of the
beach, sleeping or playing, the fe'
males and young leaping from the
water and going through variou:
tricks of interest to the looker-on.
But few feet away from the sea
lions are the boat stands of the fish
ermen and the boatmen and boat!
are moving out and over the sea lion.
constantly yet they are apparently
oblivious to the men, who never mo
lest them. This has had peculiar
result. The enormous animals hav'
become so tame that they almost al
low the men to touch them, anC
readily come out upon the shore tc
feed from their hands. 1t so hap
pened that l was upon the sand
when no sea lions were in sight, anc
upon asking a boatman where they
were, he began to whistle, as though
calling for dog, and to call, "Here
Ben |" repeating the call severa
times, whereupon out from the an
chored boats appeared not only Ben
but two large bull sea lions, which
must have weighed half ton, fol
lowed by two or three smaller fe
males.-Scientsfc Ame,icGn.