El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-09-21

M Queer things, some of Their
amusing, have been happening
lately on certain of the wild game re
serves created by the government il
various parts of the United States
One of these reserves, which is vol
cano in Boring sea, has become so no
as to drive away the sea lions that IRE
quent IT. Another, in Florida, IS glvlhs
such effective protection 10 doIp m
that the latter, freed from the perlls u
rifle and shotgun, are rapidly lhcIeaS-
ing in numbers-to the great disgust o.
people Of the wealthy class, VINO nav
made the neighborhood winter resoI l
and who claim that their 1aVor4te
amusement Of motor boating Is rem
-dered perilous by the animals
It is easy to understand how party
of pleasure seekers On board OF d AlO-
tor boat, going at rate OF 40 mlIeS an
hour, might be seriously perlufDeu ny
the sudden appearance OF hait a ooHeIl
of these clowns of the sea- rising
suddenly into view a short distance
ahead, and caEOrting over the waves
with their customary reckleSSneSs-
They weigh 500 pounds or more apiece,
and to strike one would mean total
smashup-
shooting is Forbidden.
The place referred to in Florida is
the Mosquito Inlet reservation, which
WIS set aside as a breeding refuge FOR
several species of herons, the clapper
rail, and various kinds of ducks Brown
peIfcans. also, whose wonderful nest
ing colony, on Pelican Island, IS some
distance to the south, come hither TO
loaf on the marshes and sandplts-
Shooting is absolutely forbidden, so
that not only dOlphinS, but sea cows
are gaining in numbers. THESE latter
otherwise called manatees) are huge
aquatic mammals, attaining length OF
ten feet and a weight of half a ton.
But they are gentle, herblVorous crea-
lures feeding on water vegetation. IN
former days they were plentltu4 al
along the gulf and South Atlantic
coasts, and naturalists are anxious tnat
their species shall be preserved
Yet the preservation of sea cows and
dolphins was not thought OF when the
bird refuge at Mosquito Inlet was ere
ated The situation in this respect IS
like that OF the green turtles which are
now multiplying rapidly on the keys"
OF the Breton Island reservation, off the
Louisiana coast. In fact, this chain or
low, sandy islands, some of them mere
sandbars. devoid of vegetation ana
as il is against dspredations by hunters,
promises to preserve a reptilian species
which has been seriously threatened
with determination.
Refuge for Wild Birds.
This reservation. east of the mouths
of the Mississippi, was set apart by
president Roosevelt as a refuge Tor
wild sea birds 1t covers about 5OJ
square miles OF islands, and is exceed
int-ly wild and difficult of access, the
coast for miles back being vast mo-
rass But il affords an ideal breeding
ground for the green turtles, beloved
of epicures and suggestive Of the most
delicious soup in the world, which
crawl up on the sandy beaches at night,
dig holes a couple of feet deep win
their flippers, and lay therein from 80
to 200 eggs, covering them up and
leaving them to be Matched by the sun
warmed sand. Occasionally these huge
marine tortoises attain a weight OF
1000 pounds. They live in deep water
and feed on sea plants, mostly turtle
grass" which they cut off near the
roots, eating the succulent lower parts
and leaving the tops floating, so that
the latter collect in great fields ana
mark places where hunting for the ami
mails is sure to be good
Breton island is the southernmost OF
the keys here described, and is well
out in the ocean. a small house OF
refuge for shipWrecked people has been
built upon it by the Audubon society,
which maintains a patrol boat to keep
off poachers. The reservation IS the
breeding ground Of the curious sea
birds known as black skimmers." On
Battiedore island, one of the chain, are
millions of them. When focks nave
alighted, the sands are literally black
with them: but when they fly up and
toward the observer, showing their
snowy ''waistcoats," they suddenly turn
white Their bills, of carmine hue, re-
semble a pair of shears They bark
like dogs, but, when disturbed by in
truders, their cries resemble the sob
bing of children
Breton island is a breeding resort for
pelicans, hundreds of which were killed
by hurricane in 1906. The island Is
only y feet above sea level, and or
that occasion the waves ran clear over
it While a good deal of damage was
done, the result of the catastrophe was
on the whole highly beneficial, because
It wiped out all of the raccoons and
muskrats, which formerly occupying
the place in large numbers, preyed
upon the nesting birds.
The Elder Duck.
The Audubon society is now engaged
in NAL king an interesting experiment on
Old Mans island, near Machias bay,
which it has leased from the state OF
Maine. It hopes to accomplish there
the semi-domestication of the elder
duck-an enterprise more promising
than one might imagine, inasmuch as
1t has already been carried out very
successfully along the coast of Nor
way. where the birds breed in enormous
numbers on islands not far from shore.
Women carry the ducklngS IN baskets
10 the sea when they are big enough
TO take care of themselves, and regu-
larly gather from the nests the crop of
precious down. The nest of this species
of duck is built of grass and sticks
and the female plucks her own breast
for the down, which she forms into a
mat big enough to fold over and keep
the eggs warm when she Is absent
These mats are systematically col
lected. being worth % cents apiece at
first hand, and are sorted, cleaned, and
put up in small bags for export
One of the most remarkable Of the
government refugees for wild game is
Fire island, in Cooks inlet, on the
southern coast of Alaska. It is not far
from the mainland, and the moose swim
over to give birth there TO their calves.
The island is of small size, but it har-
bors no wolves, and the young moose,
when old enough to look out for their