The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-09-22
NATIONAL GAME REFUGEES AND
SOME OF THEIR ODDITIES
nels or driving new ones, as a prelimi-
nary to the business Of reproduction.
Place for Nocturnal Bfrds.

nels or driving new ones. as prelimi-
nary to the business Of reproduction
Place for Nocturnal Birds.
An odd fact about these birds is that
hiding In their burrows. they are never
seen In the daytime. Another species.
known as Cassin's auklet. which breeds
on the Farallones and other Pacific re-
servations, has similar nocturnal habits.
On the South Farallone care has to be
taken not to carry a lantern at night.
In the breeding season. because the aux
lets. coming in from the sea by hundreds
at a speed of thirty miles an hour, and
aiming for the light. are likely to knock
down the man who bears 1t.
Yet another nocturnal bird. which
breeds on the South FaraIlone (and
which, by the way. breeds nowhere else
within the limits of our territory. Is the
ashy petrol 1t Is exactly the color OF
thick fog. and nests in crevices among
rocks. Back Of the lighthouse keepers
dwelling Is a stone wall. and many OF
the petrels lay their eggs in cracks be-
tween the stones.
Malheur Lake. in oregon. Is a small
sheet Of water surrounded by extensive
marshes. 1t Is a government reservation.
set apart for the pr ptection of the Can
ada goose, the white pelican. and various
other wild birds which breed there. A
remarkable point about II is the fact that
there is a colony of muskrats there; for
nowhere else In Oregon are there any
muskrats But equally curious, perhaps.
is the circumstance that Stump Lake, in
North Dakota, Is the only place in the
United States where that beautiful bird.
the white-winged scooter. breeds-the es-
.ablished refuge there being a group of
four islets.
Five national military parks CChicka-
r1euga, Antietam, Shiloh. Gettysburg. and
Vicksburg) have been created on as
many battleieids In Pennsylvania. Mary
land. Tennessee. and Mississippi. On
these areas absolute protection is given
to wild life at all seasons. and their To-
cation is such that, with other military
reservations (such as the cemeteries at
Arlington, Fredericksburg. &C.. they
form a chain Of refugees for migratory
land birds in the line of their northward
flight. II is proposed to create another
chain of refugees on Islands in the Mis-
sissippi River. and thus to contribute
Importantly to the safety Of feathered
creatures on their travels.
Sea Lions Homo.
The volcano already mentioned in Ber-
ing Sea, not far from the north Of the
Aleutian Chain, is Bogislof Island, which.
together with adjacent rocks, has recent
ly been set aside as a refuge for sea
birds and sea lions. Though small. it's
probably the most persistently active vol
cano in the world. and a recent outburst
of its fires has destroyed a good many
of the sea fowl which frequent 1t for
breeding purposes. One might suppose
that they would prefer a cooler spot
and the same might be said of the sea
lions which haunt the shores of the isle
The latter is so hot that men are able
to land upon II only at occasional in
tervals.
The sea lion is the largest Of all the
seals. II has no fur. but its skin has
been used for betting. The full-grown
male has leonine aspect, enhanced by
the rich golden red Of its coat of short
hair. Its expression is ferocious and
that the followers of the explorer Ber-
ing should have viewed IL with alarm,
on first encountering the animal, is not
surprising. Yet 1t is very timid and at
the approach Of a single human being
an entire herd will scuttle into the
water. the females actually deserving
their young.
This interesting marine mammal IS ir
no danger of determination. Its lack Of
a valuable pelt Is its best asset There
is no money in killing ii. and several
Of i;s most important rookeries are now
protected by the government as refugees
for sea fowl The sea lion rookery on the
Farsllones is the most numerously occu-
pied south of Boring Sea. Others are on
Three-Arch Rocks ION the Oregon COAST,
Destruction Island. and the lighthouse
reservations at Point Reyes and Ano
Nuevo.
There are also a good many sea lions
on the Pribylof Islands. in Boring Sea,
where in earlier days they were so nu-
merous as to drive away the fur seals
on which account the Russians killed
most of them. or induced them by perse-
Cution to depart Near by. on Walrus
and otter Islands. which are now in
cluded in the Prihylof Bird Reserve are
rookeries Of sea lions-though II is not
for their benefit, but for the protection
of the INJURIES. horned puffins. tufted puff
fins. guillemots. and cormoraats which
breed on those rocks, that the law has
drawn about the latter its circle of
guardianship. However lacking in value
the animals may be &c civilization. for
purposes. they are very use
full to the Pribylof Islanders. who utilize
their skins for boats. their intestines
for waterproof clothing. their sinews for
and the tough portions of hide
ever their fIippers for boot soIes
RENE BACHE