The San Francisco call., 1908-03-01

pelicans that shared the stern sheets
with him. I transferred him to the
launch, however and took him off to
the ship; but they turned him down in
the galley, saying that no strangled
animal was good for food
Water fowl of many varieties are
very numerous about the bay, and the
duck shooting along the shore is no
whit inferior to the quail shooting 10
miles inland. Pelican shooting also af-
fords no little sport, besides. furnish
ing the officers with most unique SOU
venirs in the form of robes made by
sewing together the skin of the
breasts of a number of these great
birds. The pelican is one of the most
tenaciously feathered birds known to
natural history, and one of these robes,
besides being very beautiful is prac-
tically indestructible in the course of
ordinary wear. They may be bought
from the Indians. but as those so OBJ
tanned are invariably filthy beyond de-
scription. there is practically no other
course open for the wouIdbe possessor
but to kill his own birds. As II is
rarely possible to approach a flock OF
pelicans close enough for a shotgun to
be used effectively, they must be killed
one By one with rifle, feat which
requires no little skill. with that wea-
pom. Asprime pelican robe is worth from
500 to 5000. according to its size the
value being usually computed at the
rate of about dollar per skin
The Hub of Sharkdom
Havana is won't to proudly boast tha
her 'Nez de Tiburones"-the big pool
in the rocks under MORO castle, where
they. used to drop the bodies OF the
executed prisoners out through a
RI -ic fta e1, lit
world, and there are numerous other
points in the tropics which lay claim
to the same distinction; but Magdalena
bay Is theeonly true and original fount
of sharkdom. I heard an old tar on
one OF the armored cruisers telling
some visitors that the man eaters werc
so thick around the bow Of his ship
when II steamed into the bay that they
couldn't heave the lead through them
to take soundings. And another chinaei
in to say that Masdalena bay was as
good as a drydock because the dorsals
of the sharks scraped all the barna cles
off the bottoms OF the vessels. Allow
ing something for "leeway" on these
stories. the fact still remains that
sharks are remarkably numerous there
abouts
Like all other leyiathars of, the
deep animate and inanimate - the
SHdTh OllSii suffers from cdrn2cleS ana
other marine parasites that attach
themselves to his hide. On the island
of Santa Margarita side OF the bay Is a
fiat reef of coral, washed al low tide bv
only a foot or two of water To this
place the sharks with foul bottoms
are wont to resort. and. after picking
out spot where their bodies are just
awash. lie for hours while the gently
moving waves rock and rub them back
e. 7.
the reef. This nature treatment is
said to be most efficacious, and the
spectacle of dozen or more big
tigers doing contentedly as the
warm waters sway them lazily to and
fro and every now and then squirm-
ing in q pleased sort of way as dog
does when you scratch it's back, is
something calculated to awaken, for
the moment. at least feeling almost
akin to sympathy for these most uni
versalIy dreaded and detested of all
Gods creatures.
Not a Good Place for Bathing
The morning plunge oversize regular
~ enjoyed by the officers and men in
many of the tropical ports is quite out
OF the question in the bay. There is, to
be sure, no record of any one In the
navy having been attacked by a shark
in these waters, fact not so rcmarka-
BILE when it is also learned that there is
no record of any one having exposed
himself The closest call, perhaps, was
that of a well known lieutenant COM
mander who took dive into the bath
ing pen at the same. time that this small
Enclosure was occupied by IA foot
man eater. The bathing pen is so by
80 rallied in space on the shore of the
bay that was built with the ostensible
purpose. not of keeping sharks In, but
of keeping them out An unusually
high spring tide. however, flooded the
top rail to depth of a couple of feet
or more and during the period of sub