830 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Some Life of the Alaska Peninsula. 
(.Concluded from page 510.) 
"In September, 1902, a trading post was established at 
Unangashik, east of Port Moller, on the north side of the 
peninsula, for the express purpose of trading for caribou 
skins. A stock of goods representing an investment of 
about $1,000 was put in, and a man placed in charge. 
One of the employes of the proprietor of this station in- 
formed me that the receipt of about 1,000 caribou skins 
was confidently expected during the following year. Since 
then I have learned that approximately 500 caribou were 
killed by the natives of Unangashik between October 1, 
1902, and May 1, 1903, and the skins disposed of to the 
trader. These skins are not shipped out of the country, 
so the traffic in them is only locally known. The trader 
pays about $1 in trade for a skin, which is worth to him 
from $2 to $5. The skin of the body is widely used for 
clothing and bedding material. The short-haired skin of 
the legs is especially desired for making the tops of the 
skin boots which are very extensively used by natives and 
whites alike. This traffic is carried on openly. The occa- 
sional killing of caribou out of season by natives and 
prospecting parties cannot be stopped, nor does it seem 
necessary that it should be. If the wholesale traffic in 
meat and hides, however, is not checked, the animals are 
surely doomed to a speedy extinction. 
"Moose are more or less common throughout the region 
traversed, and are killed in considerable numbers by the 
natives. It is thought that their westward range is 
governed by the limit of the birch, which they eat. On 
the peninsula the birch extends westward beyond the limit 
of the spruce, but the limit of the birch is practically the 
moose's, limit." 
Mr. Osgood took some white sheep in the mountains 
between Lake Clark and Cook Inlet, and is inclined to 
think they do not occur further west than the vicinity of 
Lake Clark. The specimens here found appear to be 
referable to Ovis dalli kenaiensis. 
It is in this neighborhood that bears were formerly 
extremely abundant. They are SO' no longer, nor are the 
bears as large as they used -to be. 
The Indians of Iliamna Village say that according to 
the tradition a few black bears were formerly found in 
the mountains northeast from there, but that in recent 
years none have been seen. As far as we could learn they 
do not occur elsewhere in the region. Their westward 
limit on the Pacific side of the peninsula is about coinci- 
dent with that of the coniferous trees, which cease a short 
distance east of Iliamna Bay. The westernmost records 
of the black bear known to the writer are those of two 
killed at Chinitna Bay in 1901 by the party of J. H. Kid- 
der, of Boston, Mass. Two specimens of small cubs 
secured by McKay from the Kokwok Indians in 1882 
were questionably referred to Ursus americcmus by True. 
These may, however, have been the young of the large 
brown bear. 
The Kenai Indians call the black bear Yerdeeshlah. 
Of Ursus kidderi Merriam, Kidder bear, and Ursus 
dalli gyas Merriam, peninsula brown bear, Mr. Osgood 
says : 
"Brown bears were formerly abundant in much of the 
country through which we passed, but the persistent hunt- 
ing by the natives since the introduction of modern re- 
peating rifles has reduced their numbers greatly. They 
still occur in many localities, but have become extremely 
shy, and are seldom obtained unless a special campaign 
for them is conducted. In the course of our entire trip 
we saw remarkably few signs of bears. In fact, the only 
really fresh tracks seen were those of a medium-sized 
one which had been fishing along a small stream emptying 
into Lake Iliamna near the Nogheling portage. This 
region about Lake Iliamna was formerly a favorite hunt- 
ing ground for the natives. Chief Michaluf, of the small 
remaining village known as Iliamna Village, enjoys the 
reputation of being the greatest bear hunter of his genera- 
tion, having, according to local report, scores of bears to 
his credit. There are yet a good many bears in the 
vicinity of this big lake, and a few have been killed each 
season in recent years. Several old bear trails were 
found on the mountains near the head of Lake Clark. In 
following them we noticed a few 'bear trees' with the bark 
torn off and the trunks scored with claw marks. The 
highest scratches were found to be only 7 feet 9 inches 
from the nearest place where a bear might stand, indi- 
cating that no very huge individuals had passed that way. 
In all cases the trees marked in this manner were white 
spruce. Considerable old 'sign' of bears was seen along 
the Kakhtul and Nushagak riyers, but the fishing season 
was over, and the big fellows presumably retired to the 
mountains, though no traces of them were found during 
the limited trips we made away from the water courses. 
We saw very little 'sign' along the Ugaguk River and 
Becharof Lake. The natives say that this is not a good 
place for bears, though they are quite common about the 
Ugashik lakes near there. 
: "The following notes on the habits of the brown bears - 
of the Alaska Peninsula are largely such as have been 
derived from old native hunters. Most of the statements 
have been corroborated to a certain degree by inde- 
pendent discussion of the same subjects at different times 
with different individuals. As to the former great abund- 
ance of these bears there can be no doubt. The records 
of .the fur traders do not fairly indicate this, for bear 
skins have usually been comparatively low priced, and the 
natives have been urged to secure the smaller, more 
valuable, and more easily handled furs. Not more than 
fifteen years ago it was not uncommon to see from eight 
to fifteen bears scattered about on one mountain side. 
Those natives who have had an opportunity to see cattle 
feeding on the hills of Kadiak Island invariably compare 
them to the bears they saw in their younger days. Pioneer 
white men also say the same of the great abundance of 
the animal in the not very distant past. The season of 
activity of the bears varies, but is usually from the latter 
part of March or early April to the early part of Novem- 
ber. They are not particularly averse to snow, and their 
tracks are often seen in it, but the date of their retire- 
ment in the fall and of their reappearance in the spring 
depends upon the severity of the season, so- that some- 
times they may go in as early as October and not come 
out until April. Sometimes, when disturbed, they come 
out for a short while in midwinter. Their dens are chosen 
in rocky remote places in the mountains, to> which they 
are sometimes tracked by the natives, both with and with- 
out the aid of dogs. The young are always born before 
the female comes out of her winter quarters. The date 
of birth is ordinarily some time in January, doubtless 
varying considerably in individual cases, for during the 
summer cubs of different sizes may be seen on the same 
date. At birth the young are blind, naked, and helpless; 
they vary in number from one to four. Two is the usual 
number, there is not very uncommon, while four is quite 
rare. They follow the mother until the end of the second 
summer, when they are often nearly as large as she is. 
"Although numbers of the adults frequent some locali- 
ties, it is generally safe to assume that three or four bears 
found together constitute one family. The cubs are mis- 
chievous and playful, and receive many a stern reproving 
cuff from their mother. The brown bears avail themselves 
of everything the country affords in the way of food, in- 
cluding fish, flesh, fruit, roots and grass, a variety that 
was scarcely exceeded by the natives when under abo- 
riginal conditions. When they first come out in the 
spring, they eat young grass, herbage, and roots, and if 
they are near the coast take a little kelp. In securing 
and handling these, as well as their other food, they dis- 
play much deftness and a control of their foreclaws sel- 
dom accredited to their kind. In the spring they also 
enjoy, now and then, a meal on a ground squirrel (Citel- 
lus). Hunting these squirrels and digging them out 
seems to be a combination of business and pleasure for 
the bears, and the antics they go through are very inter- 
esting to the onlooker. The bear is usually so intent on 
the game that he himself is easily approached. Some- 
times he slips along a hillside and tries to catch the 
squirrel by a sudden pounce, but this usually fails. When 
the squirrel dodges into its near-by burrow, new tactics 
are adopted. The bear immediately begins to dig, throw- 
ing out big turfs and clods at each stroke, using the left 
hand chiefly and watching the hole intently all the time. 
While this is going on, the squirrel sometimes runs out 
between the legs of the bear and makes for another hole. 
Possibly he is caught by a quick pounce. If he escapes, 
excavations begin immediately at the new hole. The bear 
digs for a few strokes, and then stops to poke his nose 
into the hole and sniff. Finally his efforts are success- 
ful, and the luckless squirrel is devoured. 
As soon as the salmon begin to enter the streams, bruin 
makes fishing his chief business. He varies his diet some- 
what, however, and occasionally leaves the stream for the 
mountain sides, but in a short time returns again to fish. 
The fish in large numbers usually ascend the streams for the 
entire summer, and the supply is practically unlimited. In 
fishing, the bears do> not get all their prey in shallow 
water or on bars and riffs in small streams, as is generally 
supposed, but often go into comparatively deep water in 
large streams. Practically all the fishing is done at night 
or very early in the morning, though their habits in this 
respect have doubtless changed in recent decades, since 
they have been hunted so much. It is most interesting to 
watch an old she bear with cubs. The cubs do not at- 
tempt to fish, but stay on the bank and receive contribu- 
tions. The old she bear stands upright and wades in 
water up to her neck, going very slowly with the current, 
watching the water and scarcely making a ripple in it. 
She holds her arms down at her sides with her hands 
spread, and when she feels a salmon coming against her, 
clutches it with her claws and throws it out on the bank 
to .the expectant cubs. Often she stands perfectly motion- 
less for a considerable time, and when she moves it is 
with extreme deliberation and caution. After supplying 
the cubs she puts the next fish in her mouth and goes 
ashore to eat it. If salmon are plentiful or easily obtained, 
the two sides of fish are all that she will eat; sometimes 
she even scorns these, and fastidiously crunches the head 
and leaves the rest. The gills are never eaten. The cubs 
are not so particular, but chew their portions haphazard. 
In case they have any difficulty among themselves in ap- 
portioning the tidbits, they are promptly cuffed by the 
parent. 
"When fishing in shallow water the bear walks slowly 
on all fours as silently as possible, and when a fish ap- 
pears in a riffle, deals it a sharp blow on the head. Dur- 
ing the fishing season the bears make deep trails in the 
grass along the bank, where at short intervals bones and 
other remnants of salmon in large quantities testify to 
bruin's ability as a piscatorial sportsman. Occasionally 
by following some of the branches of these trails, one may 
discover the midday resting place of the nocturnal fishers. 
One that I saw on the Kakhtul River was an ideal retreat. 
A soft bed was made in the grass and moss under the 
thick, shelving branches of a small spruce. Around this 
small alders and willows formed a sort of inclosure, which 
opened on one side and gave an outlook upon the river. 
The whole place had an air of coziness which would ap- 
peal to anyone accustomed to selecting camping sites. In 
the fall, toward the end of the salmon run, when fishing 
becomes unprofitable, most of the bears retire to the hills, 
where they feed on berries and put on fat during the last 
weeks prceding hibernation. The black crowberry (Em- 
petrum nigrum) is eaten in great quantities, and various 
species of Vaccinium which abound are also taken. In 
moving up and down the mountains the bears usually fol- 
low the ridges, as shown by their trails, which often indi- 
cate years of use. These old trails do not resemble or-* 
dinary game trails, which are merely paths, but each con- 
sists of a succession of distinct, irregular oblong indenta- 
tions in the turf, alternating from side to side, a sort of 
composite of the prints that have been made by many feet 
during many seasons. These depressions become nearly 
18 inches in length by 10 inches in width and from two to 
four inches in depth. They are often quite conspicuous, 
and can be seen for a considerable distance. 
"The two types of coloration commonly shown by these 
species of bears, the dark brown and the light brown or 
even creamy, do not seem to be anything more than color 
phases or individual variations. I have examined num- 
bers of skins, and, in lots exceeding a half dozen, both 
phases, or modificati ons of both, were represented. More- 
over, the natives tell me that they have often seen a light 
and a dark cub following the same mother. A certain 
amount of this difference in color among the adults may 
be seasonal, but it does not seem probable that it is en- 
tirelyso, for skins of both general types are frequently 
seen in the same apparent condition, and are alleged to 
have been secured at the same season. 
"The geographic distribution of the various forms of 
the Alaska brown bears is still imperfectly known. Even 
the range of the group as a whole is not thoroughly 
understood, owing to the impossibility of distinguishing 
them from grizzlies in reports which come from localities 
not represented by specimens. U. dalli gyas extends 
westward at least from Cook Inlet to and including Uni- ' 
mak Island ; large bears are found also on Nunivak 
Island and on the coast of Behring Sea from Bristol Bay 
northward, and probably range over much of the northern 
and western part of Alaska. To what extent the group 
ranges into the interior of the Territory is not known, 
and specimens with good skulls and reliable data from 
any point in the interior are greatly desired." 
Big-game hunters — especially those who contemplate 
visiting the north — may very profitably study Mr. 
Osgood's interesting report. 
Do Birds Reason? 
Wild ducks by the thousands come to feed and rest in 
the ponds in Middlesex Fells, a State reservation a few 
miles from Boston, where no gunner is allowed to disturb 
them, and occasionally a few wild geese are with them. 
Before State protection obtained they were few in num- 
bers and very wild. On the beaches of the islands in the 
harbor, where State protection prevails, the shore birds 
that frequent them are much less timid than when no 
protection was afforded -them. They seemed to have 
learned that they were safe from the gunner in these 
localities. 
If reason is prompted by instruction, experience, and 
reflection, as it is said to be, while instinct is simply 
natural impulse, it certainly seems that their movements 
are governed by reason, and they have been instructed 
by past experience what protection means. 
This State has done a great deal for the protection of 
fish and game in the last few years under the direction 
of Capt. J. W. Collins, chairman of the Fish and Game 
Commission, a man of rare talent and great executive 
ability, and one who made friends of all who were 
brought in contact with him. He will be sadly missed by 
all who knew him, and it will be hard indeed to find any- 
one to fill his place. Others who knew him better will 
write more of him, but not too much in his praise. 
Geo. L. Brown. 
[As we have many times pointed out, wild animals and 
wild birds very soon learn whether man is a friendly or 
a hostile animal, and they would always rather treat him 
as a friend than as an enemy. Wild animals, in situations 
where they are never molested by man, become absurdly 
tame, as is, shown by the actions of the wild beasts in 
the Yellowstone National Park, where sheep, deer, elk, 
bears, and other animals pay little regard to the presence 
of human beings. On this point it would be well to 
read President Roosevelt's article, "Wilderness Reserves" 
("American Big Game in Its Haunts," p. 23). Similarly 
there are not a few wildfowl preserves where the birds 
are very tame; one in Florida, we believe, where the 
wild ducks (little blackheads) commonly feed out of the 
hands of certain persons whom they have learned to 
know, just as the bears of the Yellowstone Park will 
take a piece of pie from the hands of certain employes 
whom they know. It is experience and not instinct that 
makes wild animals afraid of man. That has been known 
ever since long before the days of Alexander Selkirk.] 
The Wallows Ate Still There. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
A correspondent of the Chicago Inter-Ocean, writing 
from the west, notices the buffalo wallows that used to be 
familiar to every old plainsman. He says that though 
they have not been used by buffalo now for thirty years, 
and cattle do not use them, the wallows look exactly the 
same to-day as they did when the last buffalo left them, 
or as they probably did 20 years ago. 
It might be supposed that by this time these depressions 
would have been covered with grass, but they are as 
bare of grass to-day as they ever were. 
In the spring they stand full of water; this may ac- 
count in part for the absence of grass in them; but the 
water would soon evaporate ; a heavy rain would fill them 
again for a day or two, but it would not remain in them 
long. Something else besides water must be the cause of 
their remaining still bare of grass. 
Another thing he notices is the buffalo bird. There are 
no longer any buffalo for the bird, so he has transferred 
his attention to the steer, which has replaced his buffalo. 
He picks the insects off the backs of the cattle now. As 
many as twenty of the birds may be seen at times on the 
back of a single steer, which does not seem to notice him. 
Cabia Blanco. 
