FOHKST AND STREAM. 
rolling back and forth, bow oar in some mysterious . 
fashion is slauding firmly right in the thickest swirl of 
he waters ready to carry the passenger ashore. Bow 
-)ar always enjoyed that duty when the passenger was a 
lady whom he regarded as of suiificient rank and station 
tor him to honor with the little attentions which are 
imong the accomplishments of a Sanioan dandy. If the 
kveather were fine the captain of the boat hauled out be- 
v^ond the rows of combers and left the boat there an- 
chored, the last man having to s,wira ashore through the 
■-urf, no hardship to a race so practically amphibious as 
:he Samoans. ' Such is the landing at Laulii, really very 
simple when one is used to the method, and applicable to a 
>Te;it many spots on the Samoan coast line. 
-But jf one has to land at the next town, Luatuanu'u, 
he affair is discovered to be very much complicated by 
I fringirig reef of coral. The barrier reefs present diffi- 
ruliies of one sort, but when the boatman has passed in or 
)Ut the difficulty ceases either in the steady sweep of 
he long seas outside, or the placid surface of the lagoon. 
3nt the fringing reef is different, it is a part of the beach 
tself. there is no such thing as getting within it and 
;laiming protection. Luatuanu'u is only a mile away from 
he LauHi landing, but the two are so different that it 
s hard to believe that the two are within sight one of 
he other. The same seas come racing in at Luatuanu'u, 
rat they are prevented from sliding up the beach, which 
lere is in marked contrast to the black lava: pebbles of 
1-aulii, being a dazzling heap of glistening coral twigs. 
\bout 200yds. off shore the waves break in an almost 
continuous line, showing the outer ntargin of the reef. 
Between that line and the solid ground there is a pave- 
nent of coral under water in every jagged form adapted 
0 tear the planks of any boat which may touch the sharp 
:orners, and will rip up the stoutest work of boat car- 
lenters as though it were paper. Closer view of the outer 
ine of breakers shows a narrow gap where the water 
)ours in as though drawn to a sluiceway, but no matter 
low fast it may rush the smooth green folds of its .swiftly- 
peeding surface show that for a narrow space the coral 
las not yet grown up to the dangerous level which would 
oake the reef continuous. This is the gap into which to 
iteer the boat, and it is not the place for any amateur 
xhibitions of the use of the rudder. Whoever is going 
0 take a boat into such a place must assume all the 
esponsibility for the direction, he must have a keen eye 
ombined with a light touch, and be absolutely removed 
rom the possibility of losing his head. In all this class 
1 work bow oar has a position of great responsibility, he 
ons the boat to avoid the dangers on which it seems to 
e rushing headlong, and to pick out every little ad- 
antage of current which may assi.st the passage; above 
.11, he stands at his post with a brass-shod staff of the 
toutest wood, and more than once averts an accident by 
hoving the boat away from some menacing pinnacle of 
he coral. It is not necessary to qualify an accident in 
uch reef work, all accidents are the same thing, as soon 
IS they have begun to happen to a boat in the race of a 
eef pass, they are a complete smash-up. That is the duty 
ff bow oar to prevent. At Luatuanu'u there is about 
Jooyds. of fringing reef, the passage through it by reason 
if its twists and turns is all of 300yds. There is not a 
tretch in all this distance which is devoid of great danger 
or as much as the length of the boat. There is but one 
^ray to negotiate such a pass, take every advantage of the 
end of the sea which fills the narrow channel with a 
'tirious swirl of water, pull for all there is in the crew, 
lave the best man at the rudder and a reliable man at 
he bow, and for tlae rest trust in Providence. The na- 
ive population of Luatuanu'u always comes down to 
ratch the "assage of a boat along the tortuous alleys of 
heir fringing reef. This may seem like a flattering atten- 
ion on the part of the savage residents, in reality there 
s a cherished custom of their town like that with which 
Id Cornwall has been credited, that all the wreck stuff 
loating or washed up on the beach is theirs by right. 
Ucordingly the sighting of a strange boat will bring the 
eople down to the beach ; if the newcomer hits the pass 
nthout accident the villagers will make him welcome, 
lUt if an accident should happen it is just as well to be on 
he spot and pick up whatever good things are going to 
v^aste. 
Off-shore dangers are rare along the Samoan coasts, 
ut here and there a few may be found, two are particu- 
irly notable on the Upolu coast, for the reason that they 
ie in the way of all boat travel, and sometimes cause dis- 
ster. 
The nearest of these to Apia lies some distance east 
f Luatuanu'u at a distance of a mile from shore, or 
jther from the fringing reef. This reef reaches well 
ut seaward and is so paralleled with uncertain and dan- 
efous currents that prudent boatmen seek to give it a 
dde berth, even though the common custom of the 
amoans is to keep right at the line of breakers in the 
lost terrifying way. Somewhere off the coast of Solo- 
dIo, between the promontory of Utumau and the Ger- 
lan anchorage at Saluafata, there is the Fale Aitu. the 
louse of Gods, or devils, according as one is disposed 
3 regard the pagan divinities. There is nothing in sight 
3 show the signal of any danger, for the sea rolls there 
s niajestically as all over its expanse. There is no 
ientifying the place by cross bearings, for the danger 
2ldom has been known twice in the same place, al- 
lough always in the same general region of sea. It is 
sudden and a noiseless danger. It gives no warning, 
leaves no trace, it does its work throughout with pre- 
sion that is fatal, and there is no proof except when 
3me has happened to see it from shore. Many boats 
lay cross the danger field of the Fale Aitu without 
arm, but it may chance to any one that the old gods 
wake to anger at the new style of faith v/nich robs them 
I the offerings which passing boats never neglected in 
Id heathen days. Suddenly a great wave rears its head 
eaward, another wave collects shoreward and starts 
acing out, the boat which is caught between them when 
ley meet is never seen again, for after the commotion 
over there are spirals of foam which show that there 
as been a great whirlpool in the House of Gods, and the 
ictims have been .sttcked down below and never come 
D the surface again. 
The other off-shore danger is still further eastward on 
ae north coast of Upolu. From Saluafata there is a 
arrier reef enclosing the long sands of Lufilufi, and 
round the point as far as Naneiva. Here the barrier 
stops, the coast is precipitous and iron-bound, the sea 
breaks against the cliffs without even the bare protec- 
tion of a fringing reef, for mile after mile the spouting 
caverns show how inhospitable is that coast. Just be- 
fore reaching the bay of Fangaloa; where the British 
have their dormant right to a naval station, there is a 
blind point. For some reason there is a confusion just 
here of wild cross seas, It would be idle to hunt for 
the reason ; the fact is enough for the traveler by boat. It 
is a very tmpleasant part of marine geograph}'' to deal 
with, but by no means as dangerous as the Fale Aitu, 
for the boatman can see what he has to contend with, 
and the loss of a part of the cargo and the filling of the 
boat with water are m-uch more frequent than graver 
accidents, This area of cross .seas stretches several miles 
out to sea without losing its characteristic appearance. 
Samoan boatmen pass it by keeping so close to the 
shore that it is no unusual thing to have to change the 
uses of the oar from rowing to shoving the boat off 
from the crag on which it is just about to be dashed. In 
Samoan geography this place is known as Lafonga- 
masi, the Jettison of Biscuit. Native canoes have to be 
loaded carefully; the bulky articles which can stand a 
wetting go at the bottom, lighter wares, which must be 
kept dry, go at the top. That would bring the staple 
preparation of native food, the cake of baked fermented 
taro, on the very summit of the deck-load. More often 
than not the load was carried away in these wild seas, 
and the place got its name from the great likelihood that 
at least the biscuit would have to go by the board. 
Where there are barrier reefs there may be all sorts 
of ways of getting in and out; the passage at Apia is 
wide enough for even so large a vessel as the Philadel- 
phia. Other places are completely bottled up within 
their reefs; between these limits are all sorts of passages. 
To get within the reef at Samusu, which gives en- 
trance to the placid lagoon of Aleipata, where the turtle 
consort to lay their eggs, is a task that calls for boating 
skill. The bo3's are rowing the boat as usual perilously 
near the outer line of /oilers. Looking over the rollers 
one may count three monster waves rushing along to 
succor the wave that has just dashed itself in foam on 
the wall of coral beyond which lies the expanse of still 
water and the white beach under the feather3f cocoanuts. 
No amount of anxious looking will show the stranger 
where tlie way in lies among these rollers. They seem 
to extend without a break for mile after mile as far as 
the eye can reach in either direction. But the Samoans 
know the way in. Just at the edge of a projecting rock 
there is a narrow space on which there are moments 
when the high wave does not seem to break. Taking ad- 
vantage of the place and of an interval of still water the 
boat is bravely threaded inside the first line of rollers. 
Some distance further along there is a gap through the 
second roller. Returning almost opposite the spot 
where the first roller was flanked, the opening through 
the coral barrier is found. It is narrow, it is tortuous, it 
is beset with coral slabs and nag's heads, and there are 
all sprts of difficulties in the way. Even when the reef 
itself is passed the trouble is not by any mans over. 
There is a dangerous tide rip which may drive the boat 
stern on and back into the narrow way. It is small 
wonder after all these dangers are passed the Samoan 
boatmen devoutly exclaim "Fa'afetai!" an expression of 
gratitude for their preservation in time of peril which 
long antedates the teachings of the missionaries. 
At Lotofanga there is another danger. The pass is 
straight and clear of all obstructions, but all this is found 
when once the traveler is within the pass. The difliculty 
comes in getting into the pass. Just outside its entrance 
there is a whirlpool forever gyrating. There is only one 
way to use the pass; that is to plunge boldly into the 
whirlpool and trust to luck. The closer the boat can be 
urged to the center or vortex the better the prospect of 
getting through and into the pass, which lies imdtingly 
open beyond. A boat caught in the outer whirl will be 
spun down into the shallow depression and then spun 
out at the point of entrance. This must be repeated over 
and over until the crew have been able to urge the boat' 
to the right spot. Then, Avhen the sweep of the waters 
carries it out it will be found to be on the shoreward side 
and headed for the pass, through which it is shot with 
the speed of steam. Now, just one word about reefs 
where there are no passes. It is a trifle annoying to 
meet such a reef, but it does not seriously interfere with 
the arrival of the traveler. It looks hard; it seems an 
impossibility to cross a sea reef on which great waves 
are breaking heavily. But it is done; the reef is jumped, 
and accidents are of rare occurrence. Selecting the 
most favorable spot, the Samoan captain urges his boat 
directly for it, timing himself so that he may cotnc in 
just behind the crest of a great wave. When the wave 
com_bs and breaks ahead of him the crew leap out into the 
smother with their hands upon the gunwales, and as the 
wave ebbs they hold the boat up and ease it down on the 
coral. With the first flood of the next wava thej^ leap 
in once more, only to leap out again at the right moment 
to secure the advantage thus gained. In this way they 
win over into the peaceful water within. 
All_ these picturesque annoyances of boat navigation 
are directly chargeable to the coral, which has a way of 
getting into the way of traffic. Coral has its good points. 
It is a pleasure to take a boat and float idly over the 
coral groves in the placid lagoon waters, to watch the 
rich colors with which every twig is tipped, to study the 
wide range of shapes in which these stone flowers grow. 
Cora.1 is not an insect, nor is there any gpod basis for 
continuing its employment to point a moral. But when a 
man in a boat finds a rampart of coral to he between the 
place where he is and the place Avhere he would be. then 
he may be forgiven for thinking that the coral would be 
all the better if it did not have so many points, for ex- 
perience shows that one of the points of coral in a sea 
way will go through the skin of a boat as though it were 
tissue. ■ 
Llewella' Pierce CHtJRCHTX,L. 
Take inventory of the good things in this Issue oS 
Forest and Stream. Recall what a fund was given 
last week. Count on what is to come next week 
Was there ever In all the world a more abundant 
weekly store 9f sportsmen's reading? | 
Some Olympic Mammals. 
From Mr. O. G. Elliot's "Catalogu« of Mammals from 
the Olympic Mountains," obtained in the expedition noted 
in our last issue, we take these paragraphs relating to 
some of the most interesting species. The Catalogue 
forms Publication 32 of the Field Columbian Museum. 
The "Wfatetlet" (Arctomys olympus), 
'Ihis marmot is found in the higher altitudes of the 
Olympics, and was first seen by us between 4,000 and 
5.000ft. above the sea. It is especially plentiful in Mount 
Angeles, and is met with in small colonies throughout the 
range traversed by us. As soon as any intruder is sighted, 
the loud, shrill whistle of some sentinel perched upon a 
commanding rock is heard startling the lively echoes, and 
if in summer his yellow body discloses his whereabouts, as 
he sits upon his haunches watcliing the unwelcome visitor. 
The sound this species utters is exceedingly shrill and 
piercing, and gives to it the common name of ''whistler,'' 
and it often misleads one wandering among the cliffs, 
who imagines that some companion is cahing to him, 
rather than that so powerful a whistle should be emitted 
by any small mammal. 
The Farmer (Haplodontia olympica). 
This peculiar little rodent is known to the settlers as 
the gehalis, mountain beaver and farmer, the last name 
being the one most commonly employed. Few have seen 
it, as it has secretive habits, and the fact that it rarely 
moves about much during the days gives but few oppor- 
tunities for observing its ways and mode of life. It keeps 
to wet and swampy places and near to small streams and 
mountain brooks, and makes its burrows in the banks. 
Sometimes, however, these are dug in the ground, in 
the mid.st of tall grasses growing densely together, and 
paths are trodden down connecting the various entrances 
to their underground homes. The muscles of the neck 
and jaws are very large and powerful, and they can 
bite with great force. The hinder part of the body is 
comparatively weak, and the hind feet are much more 
slender than the hands. The ribs also are slight and 
rather delicate, and the skeleton has the appearance of 
being rather too feeble to carry the large skull. While in 
the bushes or grass "the movements of this animal appear 
to be exceedingly quick, as it would immediately disap- 
pear from view, yet those that I have seen in the open did 
not move with unusual rapidity, the heavy body and ex- 
ceedingly short legs being apparently decidedly opposed 
to any celerity of action. The most peculiar habit to 
which they are addicted, and which gives them their 
comnionly accepted name of ''farmer," is that of making 
•"hay." They usually dig their burrows in the vicinity of 
a water plant, apparently a kind of low-growing lily, and 
this they cut down in quantities and carry it near the 
mouths of their burorws, and spreading it out leave it to 
be dried by the sun, and when sufficiently cured it is 
drawn into the holes to serve either for food or bedding, 
perhaps both. Near our camp, in the vicinity of Happy 
Lake, was the resort of quite a colony of "farmers," most 
of whom returned to the East with me. 
This animal has a most peculiar hand, admirably 
adapted for grasping. Near to an opposable thumb is a 
prominent, somewhat lengthened basal tubercle, and any 
object placed between this and the thumb is held very 
firmly. 
Wapiti] (Cervus canadensis ocddcnialis). 
As much as we might wish that this fine animal should 
bear the name of the present Governor of New York, yet 
there can be no doubt that Smith described it more than 
seventy years ago (1. c.) under the name of occidentalis, 
ihere is a slight confusion where he speaks of the "tail 
long and dark," but as he was describing the species from 
a drawing, this was most likely an error of the artist. 
The description of the horns, however, prove very con- 
clusively that it was a wapiti, and not a black-tailed deer 
(CA herimonus, Raiin), that he had portrayed before him. 
and the sketch he gives of the horn in the British 
Museum, pi. p. 94, with which those of the drawing were 
compared, and which he stated "corresponds perfectly" 
shows that it was a species of wapiti and nothing else that 
he was describing. 
The antlers of this wapiti vary in size, shape, number 
of prongs,_and the prescence of "cups" and palmation of 
the horn, m an extraordinary degree. The tvpical style 
or what may be called such, of well-formed antlers can- 
not be distinguished from those of the Rocky Mountain 
wapiti, and this is the normal style. But there appears 
to be an inclination to wander from the type, so it is 
not uncommon to find antlers of most bizarre forms. 
I hese. however, are no indication that their bearers repre- 
sent distinct species, and one would be very unwise who 
.should attempt ta create one upon such an insecure 
Toundat-ion. Five bulls were killed by mv party, all but 
one. old inhabitants of the Olympics, but the antlers of 
no one of them bore much resemblance to any of the 
others. Iwo of them, while belonging to very large bulh, 
lad but five points on each horn, but these dift'ered wide- 
Jy in their general shape and extent of spread. The third 
pan- were evenly branched, with a decided cup at the 
crown, surrounded by higher points. The brow tines, 
however, project almost directly forward, and were with- 
out the graceful upward curve seen in the tvpical style, 
ibcse antlers had seventeen points. The fourth was a 
very extraordinary pair, being palmated from the burr 
tor nearly the entire length of the beam. The antlers are 
herivy and massive, the tines being very lone' and they 
also possessed _ seventeen points. I have seen palmated 
antlers of wapiti m the Rockv Mountains, as greatly de- 
veloped as the majority of those found in the Olympics, 
t)ut out of a very large number examined by myself, pro- 
cured in all sections of our country inhabited hj wapiti I 
have never seen any at all approaching the flattened 
spreading beams of this pair. The bull that carried them 
was a very old animal, and evidently of great pugnacity 
„tor be was covered with wounds received in battle, some 
ot which woiild probably have caused his death ulti- 
amately. ■ ■ ' 
I Fading to tmd any specific or subspecific character pn, 
