﻿FUR-SEAL 
  SERVICE. 
  169 
  

  

  WALRUS 
  ISLAND 
  BIRD 
  RESERVATION. 
  

  

  Walrus 
  Islantl, 
  a 
  low-lying 
  islet 
  about 
  one- 
  third 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  long, 
  

   lies 
  about 
  8 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  St. 
  Paul 
  Island. 
  It 
  is 
  barely 
  above 
  the 
  wash 
  

   of 
  the 
  surf 
  at 
  its 
  highest 
  point, 
  and 
  is 
  composed 
  mainly 
  of 
  lava 
  layers 
  

   breaking 
  abruptly 
  into 
  the 
  sea. 
  Basaltic 
  bowlders 
  form 
  a 
  small 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  its 
  north 
  shore 
  line. 
  About 
  1,500 
  square 
  feet 
  of 
  its 
  surface 
  is 
  

   covered 
  with 
  loam; 
  the 
  remaining 
  surface 
  is 
  flat, 
  rain-washed 
  rock 
  

   or 
  loosely 
  strewn 
  bowlders. 
  

  

  In 
  previous 
  years 
  a 
  few 
  walrus 
  hauled 
  out 
  here, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  a 
  few 
  

   lived 
  here, 
  but 
  from 
  the 
  smaU 
  area 
  and 
  general 
  topography 
  of 
  the 
  

   place 
  it 
  can 
  well 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  served 
  merely 
  as 
  a 
  

   hauling 
  or 
  resting 
  ground 
  for 
  young 
  or 
  surplus 
  male 
  walrus, 
  the 
  over- 
  

   flow 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  walrus 
  rookery 
  on 
  North 
  East 
  Point 
  on 
  St. 
  Paul. 
  

   From 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  these 
  few 
  walrus 
  in 
  former 
  times, 
  however, 
  the 
  

   islet 
  got 
  its 
  name. 
  None 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  to 
  land 
  here 
  

   since 
  about 
  1890. 
  

  

  This 
  smaU 
  island, 
  however, 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  breeding 
  

   place 
  of 
  countless 
  thousands 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  species 
  of 
  sea 
  fowl. 
  So 
  great 
  

   is 
  the 
  profusion 
  of 
  bird 
  life 
  there 
  that 
  this 
  little 
  rock 
  is 
  generally 
  

   known 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  few 
  remaining 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  where 
  wild 
  

   life 
  may 
  still 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  such 
  superabundance 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  innumerable 
  

   and 
  startling. 
  

  

  Positive 
  efforts 
  to 
  conserve 
  this 
  bird 
  life 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  made. 
  

   The 
  inaccessibility 
  of 
  the 
  locality 
  has 
  rendered 
  it 
  immune 
  from 
  dis- 
  

   turbance 
  by 
  man, 
  if 
  we 
  except 
  the 
  annual 
  visits 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Paul 
  natives 
  

   to 
  gather 
  eggs. 
  On 
  these 
  visits 
  the 
  native 
  party 
  would 
  gather 
  a 
  

   boatload 
  of 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  murre, 
  which 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  flat 
  bare 
  rock 
  

   without 
  sign 
  of 
  a 
  nest. 
  If 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  favorable, 
  this 
  trip 
  may 
  be 
  

   followed 
  up 
  perhaps 
  by 
  a 
  return 
  visit 
  a 
  week 
  afterwards, 
  when 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  previously 
  gathered 
  over 
  is 
  again 
  covered 
  with 
  eggs 
  unmistakably 
  

   fresh. 
  

  

  Walrus 
  Island 
  was 
  made 
  a 
  special 
  Government 
  reservation 
  in 
  1909, 
  

   but 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  St. 
  Paul 
  to 
  visit 
  this 
  island 
  during 
  the 
  

   spring 
  to 
  collect 
  eggs 
  for 
  food, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  their 
  custom 
  for 
  years, 
  has 
  

   been 
  continued. 
  Of 
  such 
  visits 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1913 
  it 
  is 
  purposed 
  

   to 
  report 
  here. 
  

  

  On 
  June 
  12, 
  1913, 
  a 
  rowboat 
  manned 
  by 
  six 
  natives 
  left 
  St. 
  Paul 
  

   village 
  about 
  5.30 
  a. 
  m. 
  and 
  visited 
  Walrus 
  Island, 
  returning 
  about 
  

   5 
  p.m. 
  with 
  about 
  1,000 
  murre 
  or 
  " 
  arrie 
  " 
  eggs. 
  These 
  were 
  gathered 
  

   off 
  the 
  flat 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  without 
  necessity 
  of 
  selection, 
  as 
  all 
  were 
  

   fresh. 
  The 
  boat 
  captain 
  stated 
  that 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  space 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  

   was 
  cleared 
  of 
  eggs, 
  as 
  more 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  brought 
  back 
  in 
  the 
  boat 
  

   with 
  safety 
  to 
  the 
  crew. 
  He 
  reported 
  that 
  many 
  gulls 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  

   seen 
  there, 
  but 
  the 
  crew 
  could 
  not 
  find 
  over 
  a 
  dozen 
  gulls' 
  eggs. 
  This 
  

   is 
  quite 
  an 
  unusual 
  circumstance 
  as 
  the 
  gulls 
  usually 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  

  

  