NEW YORK, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1877. 



'Terms, Four Dollars a Ve 

 Ten Cents a Copy. 



CLAM SOUP. 



FITCST catch yonr clams— along the ebbing edges 

 Of edible coves you'll find the precious wedges 

 With backs up, lurking in the sandy bottom; 

 Pnll in your iron rake, and lo! you've got 'em! 

 Take thirty large ones, put a basin under, 

 And cleave with a knife, their stony j^ws asunder; 

 Add water (three quarts) to the native liquor, 

 Bring to a boil (and, by the way, the quicker 

 II. boils the better, if you do it cutely), 

 "Now add the clams, chopped up and minced minutely. 



Allow Q longer boil of just three minutes, 



And while it bubbles, quickly stir within its 



tumultuous depths where still the mollusks mutter, 



Four tablespoons of flour and four of butter, 



A pint ot milk, some pepper to yonr notion, 



And clams need sailing, although born of ocean. 



Remove iheni from the fire; (if much boiled they will suffer— 



You'll laid tiiat India rubber isn't tougher). 



After 'tis off, add three fresh eggs, well beaten, 

 Stir once more, and It's ready to be eaten, 

 Fruit of the wavel O dainty and delicious I 

 Food for the gods; AmbroBia Apiciusl 

 Worthy to thrill the soul of a sea-bom Venus, 

 Or titillate the palate of Silenasl 



— IF. A. Groffut, in. the Buckeye Cook Book. 



For Forest and Stream. 



§enlin$ in the ffmfa, 



THE islands in thePacific immediately across the chan- 

 nel from San Francisco are more or less unknown, 

 except to the few fishermen who visit them in the pursuit 

 of their vocation, ttntl a few words concerning them may 

 perchance interest your readers in the East; for California, 

 its valleys and mountains, its lakes and rivers, and its im- 

 mense sea coast, with the adjacent islands, may be almost 

 compared to Alladin's lamp— perpetually opening some- 

 thing new and interesting. If one should, on a clear day, 

 take a glass, and from the best standpoint on the island of 

 Santa Cruz (about 23 miles from the main land) scan the 

 western horizon, he would see distinctly a group af small 

 islands lying off in the ocean about eight or nine miles. It 

 is with the smallest of these and the most southerly one, 

 that we have to deal on the present occasion, it being the 

 most visited islet of the group, and also the most interest- 

 ing. It is called "Ancapapa Island," and is between six 

 and seven miles in length, and very narrow in width, the 

 greater portion being solid rock, Some of it3 rocky eleva- 

 tions can be almost called mountains (as they are perhaps 

 900 or 1,000 feet high), and these constitute the home of 

 thousands of sea birds, like the Farallone group, where 

 the gathering of eggs for the San Francisco market is a 

 very extensive and profitable business. In all but one or 

 two places the towering cliffs jut out into the oceau, and 

 close iu shore the water is many fathoms deep. The soli 

 tary exception to this precipitous barrier is a little sand- 

 spit of about 100 feet long, where boats are generally 

 landed, and where the seal fishers make their camp. It is 

 well sheltered, and makes quite a cosy retreat, where the 

 whispering el the winds and the music of the billows form 

 the fisherman's lullaby, and where one could dream away 

 tedious hours. On the south side of the island from shore 

 to horizon lies one vast bod of seaweed, gently undulating 

 in the swell of the ocean; but when the storms of wind 

 sweep over the rugged sea-worn cliffs, ttie myriad broad 

 leaves of the growing kelp lift themselves in the air, and 

 with each succeeding gust strike the water with a sound as 

 of musketry. There is no fresh water on this rocky isle, 

 vet it is inhabited by sheep and goats whose only drink 

 consists in the heavy dew falling on the grass at night. 



The fishermen who come here must bring their wood and 

 water with them. The seals are found here in great num- 

 bers, mostly of the black variety, though occasionally 

 leopard seals are killed, and sometimes a sea lion or two. 

 These of course are not the fine fur seal, but are killed for 

 the blubber and large quantities of oil which they yield, 

 and the Chinese give from 75 cents to $1 each for the long 

 hairs which form the animal's mustache. The leopard 

 seals seem lo remain on the island but a short time, and do 

 not breed there, the dams bringing forth their single pup 

 in the water, the youngsters paddling off as naturally as 

 possible, The black seals on the contrary bring forth their 

 young on the rocks, and the pups never enter the water ex- 

 cept on compulsion until three or four months old. 



The females remain on the island the year round, while 

 the males make annual excursions, always returning, how- 



ever, at a stated period, which is generally about the first 

 of June, when they are very fat; so much so that they car- 

 ry ballast in the shape of smooth stones to overcome the 

 floatative powers of the quantity of blubber with which 

 they are encumbered. As much as fifteen pounds of these 

 stones have been taken from the "false stomach" (provi- 

 ded by nature for the purpose) of a single seal. After re- 

 maining in and about the island juat two months the bulls, 

 poor in flesh from incessant combats among themselves, 

 and with all the ballast thrown overboard, depart to re- 

 cuperate, and remain away until the next year. About the 

 first of April the bull calves also leave, doubtless to be 

 out of the way before the arrival of the fierce old bulls. 

 The full-grown bulls average about eight gallons of oil, 

 worth in this market fifty cents a gallon. The half-grown 

 pups yield a smaller quantity. Most of the seals are 

 killed on the rocks, but when shot in the water the bullet 

 must be almost instantly fatal, so that the animal's head 

 drops; otherwise, if the nostrils remain above water the 

 air is expelled and the body sinks. The old cows are never 

 killed except, by accident. The water around the island is 

 full of fish of various kinds, and on a clear day, when the 

 sea is calm, one can look over the side of a boat and watch 

 the finny tribes, fathoms below, chasing each other around 

 the mossy stones, or darting in and out among the many 

 stranded cables of golded kelp. 



While you are gazing upon this fairy scene below, one 

 of those hungry monsters of the deep— a wide-awake, 

 opeu-mouthed shark— will dash across the field of vision 

 in the watery depths, and instantly there is a stampede 

 among the fishes. Or perhaps the "shovel nose" will man- 

 fest a curio.-ity to see where you are going, in whish case 

 he loafs along at the stern of your boat, and the cold chills 

 chase each other down your spine as you think how easily 

 one could'"shuflle off this mortal coil" by simply the cap- 

 sizing of the frail cockle-shell in -which he is silling. There 

 are many beautiful shells around the shore, but to gather 

 the finest the searcher must strip, and in water up to his 

 neck turn over the stones at the bo'.tom, and pluck them 

 from moss, sea weed and rubbish. When a stray crawfish or 

 crab comes along and fastens upon his toes, and perhaps the 

 one with a corn on it, the poetical emotion with which he 

 was first actuated is apt to be quenched at once and for- 

 ever. Perhaps the greatest peculiarity of Ancapapa Island 

 is a vast and gloomy cavern of unKnown depth, located in 

 the middle of the highest mountain, at the level of the sea. 

 This great cave has been explored with boats, and torches 

 to a depth of some hundred feet, but found to be full of 

 seals, and the cavern was believed lo widen out and shelve 

 up, so that there was danger of the seals floundering down 

 off the rocks and striking the boats; and the superstitious 

 old sailors comprising the exploring party refused to budge 

 another inch into the inky blackness stretching out before 

 them. Thus, while on the very threshold of an apparently 

 extensive grotto, their ears ringing with the barking of the 

 seals, reverberating through all the unexplored caverns 

 beyond, like peal upon peal of thunder, and while tho phos- 

 phorescent light underneath the boat marked the wake in 

 every direction of a frightened seal, they returned to day- 

 light without any further research. But it will undoubt- 

 j edly be thoroughly explored before long, and all its hid- 

 den recesses and gloomy grandeur exposed to the adven- 

 turers who are above superstitous feais. 



Tradition has it that it was formerly the haunt of the 

 old pirates in the days of the Montezumas and the perse- 

 cuted lucas, and if the old sea-kings were inclined to hide 

 away any stolen treasures they could not have found a 

 more secure spot . Just beyond the archway of the cave, 

 which has undoubtedly been widened and made longer by 

 the action of the waves of the sea, is the wreck of the old 

 steamer Winiield Scott, strar ded here on a dark and foggy 

 night in 1855. The vessel struck a rock so near the shore 

 that all her living freight were safely landed, and not a life 

 lost. Divers, a short time afterwards, saved her treasure 

 and most of her valuable machinery. C. C. P. 



San Fmncisco, Jan. 4th. 



—Some recent experiments of Prof. Tyndall, in which 

 hermetically sealed solutions in exhausted vessels gave 

 birth to living germs with unexpected and disappointing 

 readiness, nevertheless failed to convince the experimenter 

 of spontaneous generation, and on repeating the trial in a 

 changed atmosphere, and with new precautions, no life 

 appeared. In a lecture before the Royal Institution, he 

 named his experiments "a combat with an infected at- 

 mosphere," ' 



For Forest and Stream. 

 A SNOW-SHOE TRAMP. 



SOME of our most pleasant memories are from snow- 

 shoe tramps in the neighborhood of this ancient city 

 of Montreal, and we would like to interest readers of 

 FOREST and Stream in one of our many marches. 



Some six or eight years back, three fast friends and 

 myself, who had been accustomed to make short tramps 

 in company to places around the city, determined to de- 

 vote a few days of our Christmas time to a more extended 

 tour. We decided to go across country to Cornwall, dis- 

 tant about seventy-five miles from Montreal, and started 

 on the day appointed, equipped with large, serviceable 

 snow-shoes, and blanket coats, and with well-filled knap- 

 sacks strapped to our backs. The only member of our 

 party who deserves special mention, was a gentleman who 

 had taken his B. A. at Yale, and was now studying medi- 

 cine at McGill, and who went by the irreverent title of 

 "Banty," a cognomen procured him by his short and stout, 

 though active corpus, and his somewhat pugnacious dispo- 

 sition. Banty, with A , L , and myself, constituted 



the expedition. 



The day we set out was a beautiful winter day, such as 

 are common on this side of the line. The sun was shining 

 brightly though coldly — trees, houses, everything, glitter- 

 ing in the light — and the crisp snow rustling beneath feet 

 and sleigh runners with that delightful sound so well 

 known to all Canadians; the air, fresh and bracing, in- 

 spired new life at crery step. Wo had intended to make 

 Lachine our first stage, take dinner, and go on to Point 

 Clair, there to stay all night, thus making about sixteen 

 miles; but so beautiful was the day, and so heartily did we 

 enjoy the tramp, that wo unanimously resolved to go to 

 St. Ann's, eight or ten miles farther, which we success- 

 fully accomplished. This day's tramp will ever remain 

 fresh in my memory. The snow threw its spotless mantle 

 over hill and dale, and overhead the cloudless expanse 

 rivalled an Italian sky in its deep clear blue; on wo trudged 

 past hut and farm-house, the evening air setting our appe- 

 tites on edge so keenly, that to this day I am doubtful 

 whether our host that evening at St. Ann's did not send 

 to warn the sole doctor of the village to be prepared for 

 emergencies. 



Next morning, however, we rose in good time, and after 

 pitching into a hearty breakfast prepared to resume our 

 tramp. Alas! no longer the sun cheered our frosty way, 

 and quiet air enabled us to hold our beads up and view 

 the beauties of a Canadian winter acene; the wind was 

 howling over the plains, driving huge descending flakes 

 before it with an energy that made us tremble in our shoes, 

 or rather moccasins. In spite of tin uninviting aspect of 

 affairs, however, we started out, determined to do or die, 

 but we were compelled to keep to the road, instead oil 

 going across country. Worse and worse grew the storm, 

 dashing straight into our faces, and reducing our rate ot 

 progress to less than two miles an hour; little Bauty, 

 whose short legs had hitherto kept him in ihe rear, now 

 manfully struggled forward, and assumed the lead witj. 

 heroic spirit. For about three hours after leaving Vand- 

 veuil we struggled on, and no sign appearing of a little 

 village which we had made up our minds to slop af, au 

 investigation was held, and we found ourselves, we did 

 not know in what place exactly, but certainly where we 

 had no business to be; we had lost the road. Without 

 wasting time in audible curses upon Banty, we began to 

 reconnoitre, and after a few minutes wandering sighted it 

 farm-house through the storm, which welcome sight 

 freshened our jaded limbs into a run. Au old sore-foi ted 

 French-Canadian came to the door in response to our 

 knocking, and although at tho first glimpse he half-closed 

 it again, he was induced to parley, and received us with 

 hearty hospitality when matters were explained. 



It was about four o'clock, and the storm seemed to he 

 increasing in violence, so after making sure that we would 

 not inconvenience the inmates, we determined to stay nil 

 night, although it turned out that the road we had lost 

 passed within a mile of the house. The unforeseen ehituge 

 from our settled plan was rather pleasant than otherwise , 

 t« us, but still we combined in a wordy attack upon Banty, 

 which at length disturbed that gentleman's equanimity; 

 one remarked, concerning the necessity of his stajiug 

 where Nature meant him to be, i. e., behind the oihers, on 

 a tramp, nearly bringing on a personal encounter. The 

 worthy farmer, however, came out with some news, which 

 at once restored peace, no less than that there was to be a 



