THE LOST WOMAN OF SAN NICOLAS 323 



here, many of which were new. She found on San 

 Nicolas, at its best in March, but one shrub over seven 

 feet high, and leptosynes five or six feet. On the edge 

 of some of the cliffs my feet sank into the red and 

 glistening ice plant which threatened to send one flying 

 down the slopes. From the summit of one I watched 

 myriads of shags coming in from the sea, forming and 

 reforming in a vast convention until the flock made a 

 single black shadow of huge size on the clear water. 

 I saw few birds beyond ravens, ospreys, eagles, shags, 

 cormorants, snipes, and the brown pelican, all of which 

 were extremely tame, showing the ease with which the 

 Lost Woman obtained the skins she used as protection 

 against the wild wind of San Nicolas. 



No one can visit this interesting island, which was 

 an empire in its way before the arrival of Cabrillo, 

 without being impressed with the fact that here lived 

 a real Robinson Crusoe whose life history is a part of 

 the pathetic history of the world. 



