Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-02-02


most, if not all things and he tells
ME that on one occasion he was cir
cled three times by a lion while cross
ing from his ranch to the east side
OF the island, distance of two and
one-half miles. Furthermore he tells
me Cunder OATH that he came home
one dark night after a weeks alb
sence and finding a herd of deer in
his garden, he took a bulls eye lam
tern and rifle and killed six without
going away from the house. How
ever, that all took place three or four
years ago and | see very little chance
of me getting the buck fever
The only four legged wild animals
| have seen thus far were squirrels
and do you know that the boys of
Grand Rapids, hearing the chatter of
one OF them would never dream that
it was a squirrel-his voice is so diff
ferent from the little red fellows back
there, which he slightly resembles.
But if l failed at getting a glimpse
at land animal I've made up partial
ly by having seen several in the sea.
/ have had several fine views of blac.
whales going up the straits. Their
spouting can be seen for more than
a mile likewise their blowing can be
heard long distances and sounds not
unlike the blowing of an elephant,
only much louder. Not many days a.
go | was walking along the beach
near the house when | saw a mon
strous sea lion swimming along in
search Of fish. One glance in my di-
rection was enough for him and he
disappeared beneath the water and
altho l. watched for fifteen minutes
he did not show himself again Had
he known how harmless | was he no
doubt, would have given me a better
view Of himself.
Say boys and girls did you ever
study tides when you were in the
physical geography class? interest
ing thing to study about, these tides
Ell? No? Well now, you should be
| where there ARE tides and you would
MT find it dry. You'd be as interest
ed in tides as any other study.
Just now we have a full moon and
the tide is always higher then, than
at any other time of the month and
December and June ordinarily have
the highest full moon tides of any OF
the months, but there are various
things to affect the tides, wind be
ing one of them. I have been here
during three full moon tides and al
tho December should have had the
highest, Sunday of this week topped
them all, a fierce wind from the south
east making it so.
A steady job during low tide each
| day kept me busy during the first
/ few weeks | was here for | was curl
4
ried in or left uncovered. Starfish
jelly fish, sea eggs and various kinds
of shells have so far rewarded my
| searches. You may ask what these
are like. Well, you've all seen star
fish no doubt; jelly fish look like a
mess of jelly as large or larger than
a beef liver and sea eggs remind one
of porcupine as much as anything.
They have a round body about the
| size and shape of six pancakes piled
up and the outside of this is cover
ed all over with long and short spik-
es which move The whole thing is
generally red. They have no eyes
nor other organs except that a hole
in the underside serves as a mouth.
On the whole, they are anything but
pretty. Well, to keep them as souve1
IRIS they are put into scalding water
and the outside, spikes and all comes
off and you have a pretty notified
shell, with a hole in the underside
You've all seen them-they are gen
orally used to hold ferns or trailing
plants. Ask at the green house to
see fern ball and you may see a
see egg.
And say, did you ever eat fresh cod
fish? They are SO far ahead of the
sailed stuff that you wouldn't be-
lieve they were any relation. Lots
Of cod aolng Cracroft shores, big onee
too. Some weigh as much as sixty
pounds.
l mentioned back Always, that I went
on the beach to see what the water
washed in or uncovered I've told
you some of the things uncovered
and now as to what it brings in;
everything immaginable-logs boards
planks, barrels, oars, tubs, pals, boat
and thousands of other things too nu-
merous to mention. Why the very
paper I'm using for the first draft