894 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
terrestrial species, not unlike the common wood louse, 
or "sow bug" (Oniscus), was found under stones in 
damp sand. It is indeed surprising that these terrestrial 
Isopoda are no more common than they appear to be, 
considering the fact that the ground of the island ap- 
parently always affords those conditions of their evident 
delight, to wit: moisture and decaying vegetation. Of 
the minute Crustacea, Cyclops vulgaris— that almost uni- 
versal inhabitant of pond and ditch water— was alone 
observed, though it is not unlikely that other species 
of Entomostraca— both fresh water and marine— exist. 
The Mollusca are represented by limpets (Patellidae), 
and by marine mussels (Mytilidae) which are found at- 
tached to rocks and the madreporitic attachments of 
sea-weeds. , ■ i. 
The rocky bottoms along the shores are covered with 
sea urchins (Echinidse) which, as washed ashore, are 
promptly eaten by ravens and gulls — whence the num- 
bers of urchin cases found on high ground throughout 
the island. These animals are also an available source 
of food for man. 
A large sea cucumber, or trepang (Holothuria), was 
hooked up from the bottom of Kiska Harbor. 
Jelly fishes (Medusse), in considerable variety, are 
found in the waters about Kiska Island, as also sponges 
(Porifera) and allied zoophytes. One is apt to associate 
these creatures with warmer climates, but the sea of 
every latitude of the globe furnishes various tribes of 
them. Medusa are found in the icy waters of both the 
Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, while numerous species 
inhabit equatorial regions. The geographical distribu- 
tion of the sponges may, likewise, be said to be almost 
universal, since every coast, from the Equator to the 
highest polar regions, furnishes some kinds of sponge. 
Phosphorescence of the sea, so common in lower lati- 
tudes, is also a phenomenon of the North — the noctiluca 
and other minute forms to which it is due being found 
in the waters of Bering Sea, as well as in those of the 
Mediterranean. On certain nights during the month of 
August, the water of Kiska Harbor was highly phos- 
phorescent. This was particularly noticed one stormy 
night, when returning to the ship in a pulling-boat. A 
rather strong wind was blowing from the northeast. 
Each dip of the oar stirred up a swirl of gold, and the 
course of the boat was marked by a luminous trail. Pass- 
ing under the poop of the ship, the outlines of rudder, 
propeller, and stern— from water-line to keel— were 
plainly seen, aglow with golden light. 
Mammals, Quadrupeds, Reptiles, etc.— No evidence of 
the existence of a single wild quadruped, reptile, or even 
batrachian, on Kiska Island was obtained. The ptarmi- 
gan, ducks, and other birds that nest there— either upon 
or under the ground, do so without fear of molestation, 
except from eagles, hawks, or man. Among the Mam- 
malia, may be mentioned the sea-lions that live along 
the shores, and certain cetaceans (whales, dolphins, etc.) 
that visit the bays and straits. At one time Kiska Island 
was a favorite haunt of the now quite rare sea otter. 
There are at the present time no Indians on Kiska 
Island, though evidences of not very remote occupation 
are abundant. At the head of Kiska Harbor is a grave- 
yard and the remains of a dozen or so Indian huts. On 
the southwestern shore of the harbor has been a rather 
extensive Indian village— as evinced by the remaining 
excavations of about sixty huts— while between this point 
and South Pass another village has, -as noted on the chart 
of the harbor, been located. On various other portions 
of the shore of the island are similar monuments of 
former habitation. About thirty --'ears ago the Alaska 
Commercial Company had a trading-post and white agent 
on this island. 
The Flora of Kiska Island. 
Vegetation on Kiska is not unlike that of the Aleutian 
Islands generally. There are numerous species of flower- 
ing plants, including grasses; several varieties of mosses, 
lichens, and seaweeds, and some ferns. There are no 
trees, and only a single procumbent species of shrub— the 
arctic osier, or dwarf willow— which grows almost every- 
where, especially on higher ground. The mosses and 
grasses thrive luxuriantly and, except on the higher peaks 
and ridges and loose, rocky northern slopes, form a car- 
pet of thick yielding "tundra" which, together with the 
substratum of decaying vegetation, holds water like a 
sponge. This "tundra" is, as the years go on, m many 
places adding to an already considerable deposit of peat, 
which has a definite economic value for fuel. 
An herbarium of the phaenogamous, or flowering, 
plants of the island has been made, by the writer. About 
fifty species— all perennials— were collected and analyzed. 
Among them are many familiar forms— the violet, the 
daisy, the dandelion, the buttercup, the marsh mangold, 
the lupine, the cranesbill, the blue iris, the anemone, 
chickweed, and Solomon's seal. A delicate little poppy- 
found only on the bare summits of the higher ridges— is 
perhaps among the most interesting species. Most of 
the floral species of the island are well distributed, and 
grow with a luxuriance hardly to be expected from a 
consideration of either soil or climate. 
Mild attempts made, during the season, to cultivate 
garden vegetables were attended with failure. A limited 
crop of radishes, turnips, onions and lettuce might be 
secured, but it is doubtful if results would reward the 
necessary expenditure of care and effort. Some of the 
lichens and sea-weeds of the island are edible, and the 
marsh marigolds ("cowslips") of the spring runs, fur- 
nish an abundant supply of excellent "greens" m season. 
Neither the salmon-berry nor the huckleberry— so com- 
mon on the eastern islands of the chain, and so esteemed 
for food — were found on Kiska Island. 
"Talk about mosquitoes," said an American, "why, 
when we were in latitude 30 degrees and longitude 75 
degrees, a host of mosquitoes settled on our rigging, 
and when they left us, there wasn't a stitch of canvas 
left on the boat." "Wal," said his friend, "that's 
strange, because when I was sailing in latitude 29 de- 
grees and longitude 74 degrees, a swarm of mosquitoes 
settled on our rigging and every one of them had a 
pair of canvas breeches on. Same mosquitoes, no 
doubt!" — London Globe. 
A Rattlesnake^s Victim. 
Los Angeles, April 29. — Edward Rabe, animal keeper 
at East Lake Park, died at the county hospital last 
night from the effects of the bite of a rattlesnake. 
Rabe was bitten Wednesday morning while in a cage 
where a number of reptiles were confined. The keeper 
had entered the cage to attend a snake which had been 
ill sveral days, when a large rattler sprang at him from 
a shelf and buried its fangs in his cheek. 
Rabe was taken to the county hospital, where he ar- 
rived within ten minutes after the snake had struck him. 
Surgeons began instant treatment, and the unfortunate 
man had every attention. Although his face was badly 
swollen within half an hour, it was reported that the 
case was progressing fairly well Thursday. Friday 
morning the patient's condition took a turn for the 
worse, and the heart action became so weak that the 
physicians used powerful restoratives. 
I have had no opportunity to learn what treatment 
was resorted to in the case. The daily papers give 
varied and vague accounts of what the surgeons 
did. Two journals agreed that the wound was "cut 
out," and that a drain tube was put in to "draw out 
as much as possible of the affected blood." An evening 
paper says: "Physicians say that the one known 
antidote for poison is a serum, called 'anti-venene,' 
used in India for cobra poison." 
Edward Rabe had charge of the city zoo and deserved 
great credit for his work in establishing a really good 
exhibit of animals at East Lake Park. He was very 
successful as a trainer, and was absolutely fearless in 
handling animals. I had an opportunity of closely ob- 
serving his methods, when I made several photographs 
of his charges a few days before the tragedy which 
cost him his life. He seemed to have won the con- 
fidence of every animal in his collection. His kind and 
gentle way of approaching them accounted largely for 
his success. When I first went to the park Mr. Rabe 
invited me to step right into the cage with Lobengula, 
the big African lion. The trainer seemed much disap- 
pointed when I refused. Lobengula nearly killed his 
keeper when he was confined at Chutes Park, and the 
incident was too fresh in my mind. An hour later I 
wanted to go back and photograph the lion or take 
a ride on his back if Rabe wanted me to. Rabe entered 
the cage with a brush and curry comb and groomed the 
old fellow as a stable boy would a, trotter. Then he 
took a ride astride the great beast. After watching this 
performance we went to the cage where a monster 
brown bear is confined. Without hesitation I entered 
the cage with the trainer and made several excellent 
photographs of the animal. Rabe talked to the animals 
and they seemed to have no^ fear of him. 
All of the animals at the park knew Rabe's voice. A 
few weeks ago four black bear cubs escaped from their 
cage. Rabe was sick at the time and in bed at his 
vine-covered cottage, which is within one hundred feet 
of the semi-circle of cages. The attendants were hav- 
ing a difficult time trying to get the cubs back to their 
quarters. Rabe heard the noise and, coming to a 
window, saw the four bears wallowing on his lawn. 
Seventy-five feet away their cage door stood open. 
Rabe leaned out and shouted to them, much as he 
would to a lot of mischievous boys: 
"Here! you little rascals, what are you doing on that 
grass? Get back to your cage, or I'll — " But by that 
time the cubs had fled, tumbling over each other in a 
wild scramble to get into their home cage. 
The rattlesnake which bit the trainer was as much 
a pet as any of the creatures in the collection. Rabe 
frequently said there was no more danger in handling 
the snakes than there was in handling an angle worm, 
provided one went about it quietly. He was unable to 
account for the snake's action in suddenly striking him, 
unless it was that there had been a family quarrel among 
the reptiles just before he arrived. 
Edward Rabe was widely known and very popular 
with all classes. His good work at the park was ap- 
preciated by the city authorities who will probably find 
difficulty in filling the place made vacant by his death. 
Frank E. Wolfe. 
Size and Powet of Owls. 
Oakland^ Cal., April 18. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I have on several occasions seen in articles in the Forest 
AND Stream mention made of an owl found in certain 
sections, notably that formerly known as the southwest, 
that from the description seemed to be larger than the 
great horned owl, which was formerly found over nearly 
the whole of our country and which I had always sup- 
posed was the largest North American species. One 
writer speaks of it as the eagle owl. Is the eagle owl 
found anywhere in the United States? Another writer 
from the cypress swamps of the South tells of one with 
a wing spread of six feet that easily picked up a full- 
grown mallard drake out of the water and flew away 
with it. Now, I am fairly familiar with the great horned 
owl, but I never saw one that measured even five feet 
across the wings, or that could possibly fly away with a 
full-grown mallard. While it is possible that the great 
northern snowy owl might be able to do this, that bird, I 
believe, never gets as far south as the section referred to, 
and it is quite certain, for other reasons, that it is not 
the bird referred to. 
Can the Forest and Stream throw any light upon the 
subject? Forked Deer. 
[We fancy that the size and strength of the bird re- 
ferred to as having a spread of six feet and being able 
to fly off with a full-grown duck, were overestimated. 
The eagle owl is a bird of Europe, not found in North 
America. The three greatest of our owls are the great 
horned, great gray and white or snowy. These are all 
about the same size, the last averaging the largest. None 
of them much, if at all, exceed five feet in their extent. 
At the same time they are powerful birds. The great 
horned owl has been known to kill skunks and cats, and 
the other large owls are said to kill grouse, while the 
eagle owl of Europe is reported to attack fawns. Of 
course a much larger bird or animal might be killed than 
could be raised from the ground and flown away with.] 
Quail Breeding. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Jay Beebe, in a contribution on the propagation of 
ruffed grouse in the number for May 13, quotes the 
editor of the Massachusetts paper of the Game Cosnmis- 
sion as saying "that attempts to rear quail have not yet 
been successful," but he seems to doubt it and so do I. 
If a boy of fourteen could rear them, and I did it, why 
could not men who know all about it do it? 
Away back in 1853, when western Pennsylvania had 
still plenty of quail, and they could be found within a 
mile of town, one of my aunts who lived just beyond 
Allegheny City had a large flock of chickens, and among 
them was a small bantam hen not much larger than a 
prairie chicken. I found the little hen on a nest one day 
busy trying to hatch out a white door-knob that was used 
as a nest egg; and a thought struck me. My aunt would 
not let the hen have eggs to sit on, so I borrowed her. 
Going out to where I knew I could find plenty of quails' 
eggs, I took about one, never more than two, out of each 
nest I found; and when I had thirteen brought them in 
and, removing the door-knob, put the eggs under the hen. 
She broke one of them but hatched out all the rest, and 
they all lived. 
When they came off the nest I began feeding them on 
cornmeal dough mixed very stiff with sweet milk. Then 
in a few days I gave them bread crumbs, both wheat 
and cornbread, my aunt making the cornbread on pur- 
pose for them ; she put eggs and milk in it. The little 
hen took the same care of these quail that she would ' 
have taken had they been chickens. I don't believe she 
ever knew that they were not chickens. 
I kept them penned up in the mornings and evenings ; 
and in wet weather, but at other times they were let run 
among the young chickens, and after they were two weeks 
old they ate just what the chickens ate. I was in hopes 
that they would remain with me, but was told that they | 
would leave as soon as they were old enough, and they 1 
did, a few of them going at a time until all were gone. 
I don't know whether the ruffed grouse could be raised 
this way or not, but believe they can. Prairie chickens, 
no doubt, could, and they would probably remain tame ■ 
and stay around the place where they had been hatched i| 
out. Cabia Blanco. k 
Bifds Along a Country Road. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I think it may interest you tO' know of the birds seen 
May 10 while driving from the house to the Junction, a 
distance covered in fifteen or twenty minutes. 
Here is the list : Four scarlet tanagers, all males, three 
of them close together on the same small tree ; three 
orioles, two males and one female ; two indigo birds, male 
and female ; thirty or forty warblers, including magnolia, 
black throated blue, yellow rump, Maryland yellow throat, 
summer yellowbird, red start and so forth; four gold 
finches, six towhee buntings, males and females ; four cat 
birds, barn swallows and white-bellied- swallow ; chimney 
swifts, golden-winged woodpeckers, cow buntings, red- 
winged blackbirds, blue jays, song sparrow, fox sparrow, 
chip sparrow and field sparrow ; hawk, titmice, brown 
thrasher, wood thrush, Wilson' thrush, blue birds. Be- 
sides, I saw two gray squirrels, one red squirrel and one 
chipmunk. 
Life is abundant now in this part of the world. It seems 
to me that almost all the migratory birds, excepting the 
hardy ones such as robins, woodpeckers, blue birds and 
a few others, get here about May 10 each year. The cat- 
birds and the wood thrushes came three or four days 
earlier than this. If one could spend a few days cata- 
loguing the animals and the plants along this one road, 
he would have material for a volume. M. G. 
MiLFORD, Conn. 
Pheasant Rearing. 
Essex, England. — Editor Forest and Stream: Thei 
hand rearing of game birds appears up to the present,; 
time not to have made very rapid progress in the United! 
States, although here in England it is becoming a big in-: 
dustry. It is carried on systematically all over the whole! 
country and to such an enormous extent that it is no un-' 
usual thing for pheasants to be sold cheaper than poultry; 
in our London markets. In my way of thinking, it seems 
a pity that your sporting gentlemen do not turn their 
attention more extensively to the hand rearing of pheas-f 
ants, although the work, from start to finish, comes rather; 
expensive. It also requires constant attention, both day 
and night, with judgment and experience. In the firstj 
place, suitable woods (coverts) of a proper size wouldi 
have to be planted, and the situation and location of the 
coverts would have to be considered. The proper kind of 
food for the young birds for the first five or six weeks 
after they are hatched, and a suitable kind of soil are two 
very important items. A sudden change in the weather' 
is pretty sure to affect them if they are under one month 
old ; diseases of several different kinds, and noxious ver- 
min of all descriptions often causes no end of trouble. All 
this has to be considered and encountered with the 
hand rearing of pheasants and other game birds. 
H. Hickmott. , 
It Will latcfest Them, 
To Each Reader: 
If you find in the Forest and Stream news or discussions oi 
interest, your friends and acquaintances who are fond of out-doo^ 
life will probably also enjoy reading it. If you think of any whci 
would do so, and care to send them coin cards, which, when re' 
turned with ai nominal sum, will entitle them to one short-time 
"trial trip," we shall be glad to send you, without cost, coir; 
cards for such distribution, upon receiving from you a postal 
card request. Or, the following blank may be sent : ' ' 
Forest and Stream Publishing Co., 
346 Broadway, New York. ' i 
Please send me Forest and Stream Coiri 
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