The Days of a Man 1896 



known as Dutch Harbor - - Golinsky a misnomer, 

 of course, given in honor of the visit of a German, 

 Alexander von Humboldt. 



At Captain's Harbor we found a remarkable case 

 of "ontogenetic species" that is, forms which do 

 not breed true because they owe their distinctive 

 peculiarities, not to heredity but to differences in 

 environment, so that with changed conditions they 

 lose certain surface traits; they thus illustrate the 

 important truth that the outside of an animal shows 

 Doily where it lives, the inside what it is. Into the east 

 gardens shore of the harbor, over a waterfall too steep for 

 sm aii fish to ascend, flows a small brook well stocked with 

 Dolly Varden trout, all of very small size, not 

 reaching the weight of even half a pound. In the 

 waters below, where space is adequate and food 

 abundant, the swarming Dolly Vardens average 

 from eight to ten pounds at maturity. Trout and 

 char, above all other kinds of fish, are molded by 

 their surroundings. The small size of the brook 

 forms is due to narrow range and scarcity of food. 

 Arcticflora During the summer the moss-covered low hills 

 sheltering both harbors are gay with flowers. Espe- 

 cially charming is the maroon-colored Saranna Lily, 

 a species of Crown Imperial or Fritillaria. Every- 

 where, too, creeps the dark crowberry of the Arctic 

 Empetrum - - with here and there the delicious, 

 amber-fruited raspberry locally known as molino. 



While the Albatross was coaling at Dutch Harbor, 

 we drew our nets in the inner bay, bringing to shore 

 quantities of cod, greenling, Dolly Vardens, and 

 other species. During this operation several hungry 

 men, deserters from the harsh regime of steam whal- 

 ing ships, Arctic bound, came down from the hills 



C 556 H 



