The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1906-09-28
TAME WILD BEASTS.
WONDERFUL INSTANCES FROM
ISLANDS WHERE LIFE 10
PROTECTED.


That wild animals become extremely
tame Is well known The wild quail
" southern California will enter gar.
dens and nest there and in the protect.
cd season I have seen a flock stand In
a country road q iauty male between
them. and my horse not 20 feet away.
moving only when I moved and then
With reluctance. says writer ln the
Scientific American.
Several years ago some residents
| on one of The channel islands of south.
ern California introduced % number of
placktalled deer which were protect.
ed 10 such an extent that In time they
discovered that they were privileged
Characters and assumed nearly the alb.
solute contempt for human beings
held by the sacred bulls ~ 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 dwcllers
on the island had bells fastened to
them One buck made his home near
the town Of Cabrllo and walked about
the place and over the hills with the
freedom Of a dog When q boat land.
ed on the pier the buck ran down TO
greet the newcomers and share their
lunch aud became n welcome guest az
barbeoues and lobster and clam bnkes.
Nearly all animal life Is protected at
this Island have counted half hun.
dred bald eagles In an eleyen.mlle run.
have seen them take q large lish from
the water within easy gunshot and
they build their nests on plnnacles
that are not difficult Of approach. The
sea birds are equally tame. Gulls |
gather In locks few feet from those !
who feed them In the winter nocks |
Of cormorants swim into the bays and |
are so tame that they merely divide |
when boat passes aud fishermen |
often lind that the cormorants take on |
bait almost as fast as they can put " |
ON. Gulls dash at bait and have seen
a long winged bird resembling the
petrol follow my line under water at |
a cast using lbs wings 10 ily along and |
take the bait and at times scores Of |
sea birds are seen inshorc feeding up.
on small shrImps. paying no attention |
The most remarkable Illustration OF
iamencss 10 be seen here Is that Of the
sea Hons. For ages the animals have
held possession Of a mass Of rocks on
the shore " the islands. A few years
ago many were killed by yaudals. but
laws were passed and for number OF
years the sea lions have been protect.
cd and the rookery has increased in
size until a split has recently occurred
and another settlement has been es.
iablishod halfway mp the island.
II has been the custom for years for
fishermen In cleaning their fsh to toss
the refuse into the bay and the sea
Hons formed the habit OF coming down
to the bay nj this time to dine there
upon. Al FIRST only one or two came:
now band OF two large bulls and sew.
cral females make their headquarters
at the bay 10 spend most Of their time
there, constituting valuable sanitary
corps as they cat every fragment og
fish, the gulls Joining In the feast
When not feeding the sea lions pass
the time lying within q few feet OF tho
beach. sleeping or playing, the females
and young loapIng from tho water and
going through various tricks ~ inter.
est to the looker,on
But few feet away from the sea
lions are the boat stands " the flsh.
ermen and boatmen and boats are
moving out and over the sea Hons
yet they are apparently oh.
llyious TO the men, who never modest
them. This has had peculiar result.
The enormous animals have become so
tame that they almost allow the men
10 touch them and readily come out
upon the shore 10 feed from their
hands. II so happened that was up
IN the sands when no sea lions were
In sight. and upon asking a boatman
where they were he began to whistle
~ though calling for dog and 10
'all. Here, Benz" repeating the call
several times, whercupon out from
among the anchored boats appeared
not only Zen but two large bull sea
Ions, which must have weighed half
4 ton