464 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



fJur.Y 13, 1883. 



linn 1 ever experienced, Peter lost his hold and tell, striking 



id i 8l i'ii Ihr mil beneath .■mil going Overboard. The 



blow itself must have stunned, if not lulled him outright, 



and wiiii Hie terrible sen then running, il would have Been 



worse than madness to have lowered llu clumaj old ttfb 



whirii we called a long-boat. 



So flu- waves and storm sounded tlioir requiem over Hie 



.' ' I sailor, mill the old ship went wallowing on. Next 



day the gtilc abated; the wind came round to the SOUtb'ard 



and eastward and blew us fairly into port in rather less than 



aweek. is usual, the crew all left, bog arid baggage, 



directly the ship was made fast, Disliking the surround- 



i i sailor's boarding-house, 1 had obtained permission 



to remain On Board until nexl day, when 1 was intending to 

 sini'i for home. Alter Buppci ( laptain r i burner went ashore, 

 mid ii little later both officers, leaving only the colored 

 steward and mj self in charge. As 1 stood leaning idly over 

 the pall! a private carriage drawn by two stylish black 

 hordes drove rapidly down -on the pier, from which agroom 

 assisted :i lull, slender ludy to deep mourning. As she ap 



proachod the vessel's side and tlirewbaoljahea i' 

 ■nil, r could not repress a alight exclamation of astonish- 

 ment, for though far more delicate, her features were almost 

 counterpart or those of my drowned shipmate, 

 and I tit once knew that this must he the twin sisti SC Hilda 



nt whom he bad onoe spoken, 



"You hud a sailor— Peter Androvitch— .on board," she 

 remarked in tones singularly like thoaeof her brother, hul 

 speaking in quick, agitated tones. 



"We had,' l began hesitatingly, but the lady interrupted 



me. 



"Yes, 1 know; he was drowned the night of this day 

 week: he told Hi'' himself.'' she answered in a tone of re- 



motion, and as I stared at her in open-mouthed 



amazement she stepped on board and entered the dingy 

 forecastle. She remained there a, moment or two. and when 

 she came out I saw that she held a letter in her hand. 



"Hisdhesl and live things in it you may have, sailor," she 

 said, and 1 saw t.h it l.er eyes were full of tears. Bill before 

 I" could stammi.i my thanks she bad entered her carriage 

 and was driven away. 



The entire affair seemed so curious thai when Captain 

 Thurber came aboard I told him the whole story, and even 

 his usually phlegmatic nature seemed to be somewhat 

 stirred, particularly when 1 narrated thai part of it relating 

 to the singular appearance which Peter had described to me. 



"Il isstrange, Harry," he said alter I had finished, "and 

 I'll tell you whal to me is the strangest of alt. This old 

 ship, built a little more than a century ago. is the one that 

 earried General Wolfe ami his staff from Portsmouth, Eng- 

 land, at the time when the British troops were set I 

 conquer Canada. And the description Peter gave of the 

 ;ii; on, or whatever it was. closely resembles an old 

 steel engraving of General Wolfe himself that hangs in my 

 fathi r's house in Sheet ucss." 



I give the story exactly as it occurred. Without the sTigbt- 

 LLishment, nor do I offer any comment upon it. The 

 main factsarc copied from an old pocket diary, and I have 

 written them out in detail as merely illustrative of the time- 

 honored and well-worn quotation; 



■' There be move things in heaven ami earth 

 Thau thy philosophy dreams rt, Horatio " 



afur^il giporg. 



THE COMMANDER ISLANDS. 



IT* ROM the advance sheds of the proceedings of the United 

 1 States National Museum just issued, we learn some- 

 thing of the natural history of this group of islands, situated 

 between Alaska and Kamlschatka, and of which Bering 

 Island is the most important. This group has a greal his 

 torlcal, as well as uoological, interest, for it was here that 

 ila- explorer Bering met his death. 



Mr. U-onhard Sfcjncgor, who is known to many ol our 

 -.il ,!- an ornithologist and naturalist, has speni some 

 lime among the Commander Islands, studying the zoology 

 of tin- group, and as might be supposed, when the eepgraph- 



ical position of the regiOB is considered, he has found this 

 study full of interest, 



Bering Island, which was the first of the group to which 

 he devoted much time, is the last of the Aleulian chain of 

 islands, and is only about one hundred miles from the near- 

 est cape of Ivamtschalka, and about twice that distance 

 troll! Altu. the nearest of the Aleutian islands. The character 

 has be 



palatarclic 

 thai of Kamlschatka. 



iter proximity to the eoasl ot 



the prevailing wind- i 



, and visitors are thus more 

 'ction. Slejncger concludes, 

 ,s not yet. prepared to publish. 

 teriod previous to which they 

 were wholly covered by the 



Of the fauna of the island i. 

 agreeing more or less close] 



This is due in part to the go 



., ',, i , i- cl thai 

 rents are from the westww 

 easily carried from I hat di 

 from' several facts which he 1 

 that these islands, during the 

 received their present fauna, 



sea, and Llu ffore the present tnnamtants are immi- 

 grants from two continents, those from the west coming 

 mure easily and regularly, while those from America are 

 accidental 'visitors, for our continent contributes but very 

 little to the fauna of these islands. The notes from which 

 we QUOte arc contained in a letter to Prof. Spencer l<\ Bail'd. 

 Secretary ot the Smithsonian Institute, and we make copi- 

 ous extracts from them, for they tin- to the zoologist very 

 delightful reading: 



As announced in my letter from Sao Francisco, the 

 steamer Alexander started on the Otb of April at noon. The 

 wind was very unfavorable, most of the time blowing from 

 the west, and very often with a force of forty miles an hour 

 ,,r more tip to the 34tb my observations show twice only 



a direction of wind from a different quarter. As we were 



compelled to make about one thousand milCS under sail, our 



u ,s necessarily slow, so that on Die 23d of April 



we found ourselves only in longitude 145' west, and latitude 



rrtli, aboui SOU miles southwest from Sitka, and as 



many miles southeast from Ko.iiiii,. ui, the 30th of April 



We passed the Ale. iliac chain between Scgmiin and Amha, 



in fog and sleet, and lk-ring Sea received us with II Ibl 



hurricane from the east northeast, Alter haying slopped at 

 the village of Copper Island the anchor was dropped in the 



moraing of the 7th of May at Gavah, the harbor of Bering 

 Island, where I landed with as much of my baggage as 

 could be taken on shore before the ca rgo had been discharged 

 in Pet.ropaulski. Erelong I was comfortably lodged and 



.. ' - o work. . . 



At first 1 was much confined to my station on account ot 



the meteorological observations. Not until the obliging agent 



of the Alaska. Commercial Company. Mr. Q. Ohernick had 

 been instructed how to take and record these observations, 

 could I think of making longer excursions. Many thanks 

 are due to him for his kind assistance. Thus I was unable 

 to cross the nofherti part of the island. eonsisfbiLr chiefly 

 of flat swamps and tundras, of lakes, a moderately high 

 platOftU, and a chain of interesting table mounl ins i I lb >U 

 the same height, while the southern, mountainous and 

 larger, two-thirds of the island remained a complete te'rtf 

 incognita to me. I therefore planned an expedition with the 

 purpose of exploring the secrets of this region, the more as 

 il was especially there Unit Slellerhad made his observations. 

 Hut I had to wait until the sealing season was over, for all 

 hands now weie occupied in this, their chief, and one may 

 o ay, only work. 



Meanwhile l" resolved to go to Petropitulski on the loth of 

 June to establish a meteorological station, and to hire and 

 train an observer. Besides, it was my desire to study as 

 much of the natural history of Kamisehatka as the sur- 

 roundings and the limited time would permit. 



The season was unfavorable, as the vegetation was already 

 so luxuriant as to make it dillicult to move outside of the 

 roads, and the mosquilos were plentiful enough to make it 

 extremely painful to lay in wait tor birds or to creep around 

 searching for spiders, beetles and snails, However, if the 

 slay was. not very profitable to the collection, it was not en- 

 tirely without results, for I gained a great deal of valuable. 

 experience which will be of "use to me during my proposed 

 visit to Kamtchtttka next year. What rendered my sojourn 

 in-! M specially attractive ami instructive Was the daily 

 iiite.rcoi.irsc with the experienced and meritorious explorer 

 of Eastern Asia, Dr. Benedict Oybowski, who, of course, 

 better than anyone else, could give me all desirable informa- 

 tion. On the lStll of JUly I found myself again on Bering 

 Island. 



The following weeks were occupied ehielly by observa- 

 tions on the rookery, about 15 miles distant from tin- village. 

 and I could not begin to think about the expedition toward 

 the South before the middle of August. 



Eyery one suggested that the most practicable way would 

 be to go around liic island in a beat, as traveling OVi Tin in -1 



with dogs would be difficult ami expensive, and, on the 



other hand, several places of interest would be inaccessible 

 by this route, which, besides, would offer little or no opnor- 

 lunity for carrvmg the necessary outfit and I he objects Ol 

 natural history 1 might possibly collect during the journey. 

 The prospect of finding a skeleton of a sea-cow at any one 

 Of these places, seldom or never visited by the natives, was 

 a very probable one, and as such a skeleton alone would be 

 enough to load a boat even larger than ours, 1 resolved to 

 hire six Aleuts, to man the boat of Mr. Grebnitzky. kindly 

 placed at my disposal. Mr. Osehc. in the service of the 

 Alaska Company, who during a sojourn of several years had 

 traversed the island in all directions on his hunting expe- 

 ditions, and had thereby gained an extensive Knowledge of 

 the island and its products, joined the expedition as a voluu 

 tcer: au assistance the more" valuable, as without it I should 

 hardly have been able to realize my intention. 



The special object of the expedition was to study the. 

 general natural history of the southern part of the island, to 

 collect specimens of ail kinds, as far as circumstances would 

 permit, but especially to search for remains of the sea-cow. 

 I also proposed to survey the island for further explorations 

 and to Collecl material for a more correct and detailed man 

 than the one in existence. Besides I wished to identify the 

 places mentioned by Stcller in his narrative, in order to com- 

 pare his description with the localities as they present them- 

 selves to-day, and to restore tlie original names. I also 

 desired to visit the spots wheie Bering's vessel was w.cekcd, 

 where the ill-fated expedition wintered, and where Stellar 

 made his observations on the sea-cow. 



The "circumnavigation" took place between August 31 

 and the 1st of September. It was attended by all the dis- 

 agreeable consequences of fog and rain, of wind and surf, 

 and the few skins which could he obtained under these cir- 

 cumstances were almost, spoiled at our return. The per- 

 sonal inconvenieuces during a twelve days' journay on the 

 ocean along an open coast, without harbors or anything like 

 a shelter; of being kept wet by continuous fogs and rains, 

 of sleeping under an old sail, are serious; but no naturalist 

 would ever count them should the result, of his work be iu 

 inverse proportion to his troubles. 



rnforunial.ely. I cannot so report, because the animal life, 

 contrary to my'expcclalions. was much poorer with regard 

 to species than in the northern part, although the number 

 of individuals was considerably larger. In fact, the Only 

 addition to niv list of birds observed on Ihc island was a 

 single species, Jiix.w bi'u-iroxtrlx Brandt, a species strangely 

 limited in its distribution on the island. 



1 inspected a large colony ot /iVsxc kdtzelmi lip. , situated 

 on the western shore, about. IS miles from Cape Mamdi. the 

 southwestern point of the island, where thousands and thous- 

 ands ol this black-legged kittawake were now feeding their 

 almost full-grown young ones. Among them a single red-leg- 

 ged bird, quite lonely, and apparently without any you eg, bad 

 placed itself on a narrow shelf of the rooky wall. It was 

 the tirst and the only one that 1 saw, and I was fortunate 

 enough to shoot it. /,',/.-,<,'.:, vi/ w as observed iu countless 

 numbers along the western shore; but as soon as we had 

 doubled Cape "Mamdi we met as large or still larger flocks of 

 1!. I„rc.u™tn\ among which not a single black-legged indi- 

 vidual could be detected. 1 minutely surveyed a breeding 

 Colony on this side, and the result wftS the same, not a sin- 

 gle black-legged one was seen. And thus i he red legged 

 form completely excluded the other along the casiern .-ho.v, 

 except at Cape Tonkoj, where the coast, [rends towards Ihc 

 northwest. Here on the cape a larger Hock of kiltiwakcs 

 was sitting on the shore so closely packed that only the legs 

 of the outer tow could be seen: they were all red. I shot. 

 however, and of the ten lying on tile ground, seven were 

 red-legged, while I luce belonged to the black-legged species. 

 The young of Iiixmt hr,rinis(ri:< also has dark legs, but 1 

 . ..pressly state that 1 did not make any mistake in 

 this respect, 



i tii tin other side ot the last mentioned cape the old ac- 

 quaintance received us as exclusively as along the western 

 shore Thus, the genus foi occupies the whole shore line 

 of the island/of which lcotzebui, however, has usurped tiine- 

 tcntlis, leaving to h/i-nriixtiix, as an exclusive possession, 

 but one-tenth, or about twelve miles. 



We found, however, another animal, which 1 much re- 

 gretted nol to have been able to skin and to carry with me. 

 i'.ui a' ii. ' •■"", fifty feet long, 1 was compelled 



toleaveil where ; ■■■ found. I spent a day on tbespol 

 i,, order to take the necessary measurements, and to make 

 such investigations as the Par-advanceo decomposition Of the 



lid allow as a matter of course. * * * But 

 now as to the sea-cow. We found the remains of one. and 

 I will here give au extract from my journal concerning this 

 event. 



AiiguMZ'T, 1882, Oii/jf Tolsloj.—Mr. Osehewent out hunt- 

 ing, while 1 was occupied in searching for fossils. From 

 the extreme point of the cape 1 took some bearings of the 

 other apes Visible from here, and was just looking over 

 ■ ■■■ collet ioi of Stone* when Mr. Osche returned with the 

 cheerful intelligence that he bad found what he thought to 

 be a skeleton of a sea-cow. Immediately we seized the 

 spades and set out for the place. Having removed some 

 spades full of soil, 1 soon became convinced that his sup- 

 position was right, but at the same time it was evident that, 

 the skeleton was in such a bad state of preservation that it 

 would hardly be of any use. It was situated iu a sand bank 

 twelve feel 'high, about equally distant from the base and 

 from the top of the shore, close to a rivulet, which here had 

 cut, its bed through the bank and carried away the 

 whole caudal portion of the skeleton. The distance 

 from the sea was 500 feet in a straight line, and the 

 height above high tide not less titan 10 or 12 feet. The. 

 head of the skeleton pointed toward the west 11 was lying 

 hoiizonlally on the back, Slightly bent toward the left; most 

 of the bone's were in their natural position. The top of the 

 sand bank was covered with thick sod, and both above and 

 below the skeleton the bank consisted of moist and rather 

 fine sand, of the. same kind daily washed up on the beach 

 and deposited in horizontal and alternating Blue and brown 

 layers, the latter color greatly predominating. The color of 

 the sand near the bones was blackish, sometimes iridescent. 

 In spite of the miserable condition of the bones, I finished 

 the exhumation in order to ascertain whether all parts Were 

 iu their proper place, This caused us much pain and labor, 

 not only because the sand had to be removed from the very 

 top, Im't especially because the fine particles of the upper 

 and dry layers were whirled by the strong breeze into our 

 eyes. 



Altogether, fourteen dorsal vertebra? with their ribs, the 

 cervical vertebras, tlie skull and sternum, two scapulae, two 

 humeri, and one cubitus were dug out; Ihc other eupttus 

 could not be found, nor any trace of the metacarpal bone. 

 While all the other purls were found /// .«'/</. the sternum 

 was lying oulside. close to the right extremity. While the 

 left one, 'consisting of a scapula and humerus only, was 

 placed within the throat, close to the spine. 



As staled above, the bones were in a miserable state of 

 preservation, being decomposed in a verv high degree, and 

 so brittle as to be incapable of bearing" their own weight, 

 falling into main pieces when lifted out even with the great 

 est cue. Even the ribs, which are so hard that they present 

 the appearance of ivory, were entirely rot-ten. Some bones 

 had the consistency of "flesh, while other parts w T ould glide 

 away between the fingers like soft soap. All the bones were 



'I'll- impossibility of securing anything of value under 

 such circumstances" is self-evident. 1 therefore selected only 

 ie bersi preserved bones, namely, the first and 

 ._ ,s of the right side, and the OS uceipilis, in order 

 to show the state of preservation. They form No. 1,601 of 

 on catalogue. 



WedidAiot return, however, without having our boat 

 trimmed With bones of h'nihui, mostly ribs, from the same 

 skeleton, and two skulls, one being rery fragmentary, 



Of plants I collected only those not met within the north- 

 ern portion, which are only n few species. The topographi- 

 cal part of my work was more successful than the zoologi- 

 cal. 



I had the opportunity of mapping this part ol the island 

 and can give a tolerably correct representation of this, the 

 most western link of the Aleutian chain. It differs consid- 

 erably from the old charts, which show deep gulls where 

 the coast line is actually straight, and laud where we gaily 

 sailed our boat. 



I also visited the place of Bering's death, and the winter 

 quarters of the ill-fated party, and spent Iwoda.ys iu digging 

 and surveying. The ruins of the bouse were measured and 

 described, but my intention of makiug a sketch-map and 

 some landscape sketches of the surroundings was com- 

 pletely frustrated by the never-ceasing rain. The remains 

 found were very scanty; some small glass beads and plates 

 of mica, probably for 'trading purposes; a few iron grape 

 shot, Fragments of a brass plate with Russian armorial en- 

 signs, bolts, and sheaves from the vessel, etc. 1 have kept 

 these relics, as perhaps the National Museum will be in- 

 te»-sted in receiving the only remains of this expedition. 



[TO BE COMT1KCED.] 



a fe 



Bruxisii Sympathy.— The English press is beginning to 



manife.-t a deep rcpenlance for their share in sending 118 Hie 



sparrow. Tin- London T&egraph closes a long editorial on 



the subject as follows: "Yet, if the Americans caunoi find 

 it in them to be amiable to the small bird, and are tired of 

 sentiment, let I hem not take too political a view of the 

 injuries inflicted upon them by British enterprise and calcu- 

 late thereon anv fresh 'claims.' For it may be as well said 

 now and at. once that this country is not prepared to go to 

 Geneva to arbitrate upon the losses caused to American 

 commerce by the sparrow. We admit that the small priva- 

 teers were fitted out from English seaports, that the English 

 authorities had full knowledge, before they set sail, ami that 

 they went out with the connivance— and, indeed, avowed 

 sanction — of the local officials, whether of the Custom House 

 or others Nevertheless, ac repeat it that the country has 

 made up its mind not to admit the thin end of the wedge in 

 litis matter, and that if the Americans do not like thei spai 

 rows alive they had better try them cooked. They intro- 

 duced the sparrow under the impn. is' ' . .' - - ' '' 

 to be some benefit to them. That impression appears to 

 have proved incorrect, Let them now introduce another 

 British novelty --and try sparrow-pie." 



A Lab of. Toad Stooi,.— Johnson town, Va... July :!.— I 

 found a few days since a toad stool that measured thirteen 

 and three-sixteenth inches in diameter. It was about two 

 inches thick, of a common ginger-bread color on the lop, 

 and a dirty blackish yellow on the underside. The black ap- 

 peared to "be spores, which rubbed oil' and blackened my 

 hands. 1 have never seen one so large.— Oi.d Eooy. 



Tdk August "Oentuby" will be the "Midsummer Holi- 

 day Number." It will open with a paper by Prof. Alfred 

 M' Mayer, of the Stevens Institute, on "Bob White, the 

 Game Bird Of America." The article will be illustrated by 

 Beard. 



