May 30, 1908.I 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
853 
in plumage the immature gannet (S. bassana). 
The booby examined aboard the Galilee, above 
referred to, was a full-grown specimen of Sula 
piscator. 
Like that of the tropic bird, the range of the 
booby is not absolutely limited to the tropics. 
On Nov. 1, when between latitude 25° and 26’ N., 
a booby was seen from the Galilee just 
northwest of Gardiner Island. Specific identifi¬ 
cation was not, however, possible. 
Whether justly accused of stupidity, or really 
only “too confiding,” we cannot say, but surely 
boobies are not lacking in industry. They are 
energetic fishers, providing abundantly not only 
for themselves, but for their young. It is enter¬ 
taining, indeed, to watch a booby as he darts 
swiftly down—often from a considerable height 
_j n pursuit of fish; and variation to the scene 
is sometimes added if a frigate bird happens to 
be within range to rob the booby of the spoils, 
deftly catching the fish before it reaches the 
water after it has been dropped by the over¬ 
taken and defeated booby. Fregata aquila is 
the common enemy of both tropic birds and 
boobies. A few scattering individuals of this 
species were seen during the cruise of the Gali¬ 
lee in tropical waters, usually soaring majesti¬ 
cally high in the air and sometimes at long dis¬ 
tances from land. 
In sailing the mid-Pacific northward from the 
Equator, the boobies are hardly left behind be¬ 
fore the “goonies” appear. (The word "goonie ’ 
is used by the writer instead of either of the 
other recognized forms of spelling, since it is 
the .better orthography of the word as commonly 
pronounced. Both “gony” and ‘ goney are ob¬ 
jectionable, moreover, because in the plural, 
they resemble the technical ornithological term 
“gonys,” from which, indeed, they may have 
sprung.) Good companions these, far out at 
sea. While the boobies and the “bo’suns” in¬ 
habit a generally fair weather belt, and appear 
partial to the vicinity of land, the goonies in¬ 
habit the region of storm and wind, and are 
far more common in mid-ocean than in the 
neighborhood of land. 
Three species of goonies are found in the 
north Pacific in the course covered by the first 
cruise of the Galilee. These are Diomedea 
nig rip es Audubon, the black-footed albatross, 
Diomedea albatrus Pallas, the short-tailed alba¬ 
tross, and Diomedea imtnutabilis Rothschild, the 
Lavsan albatross. Only one individual of the 
species albatrus was observed during the cruise, 
and that was caught with baited hook, Nov. 24, 
in latitude 40° 42' N. and longitude 150 5 ° ^ • > 
and after being examined, measured and photo¬ 
graphed was liberated unharmed. The body was 
white, except for sooty brown markings on ends 
of tail feathers, and brown and gray on the 
upper surface of wings and around the margins 
of their lower surface. Posterior to the eyes 
was a dash or bdr of black, as in all species 
examined by the writer; the bill was yellow, 
shading to green at the tip; length of bill from 
angle of mouth to tip of beak, five inches; the 
feet and legs were yellow, and the wing ex¬ 
panse six feet eight inches. Numerous black¬ 
footed albatrosses (Diomedea nigripes ) were 
captured in like manner, examined, photographed 
and liberated. The average wing expanse in the 
latter species was six feet ten inches. 
The home of the goonie is, as already ob¬ 
served, the broad expanse of ocean. They are, 
however, found in the vicinity of land during 
the nesting season, when both male and female 
repair, together with thousands of their kind, 
to Laysan, Wake and other small islands of the 
north Pacific, where, in a rude nest—a little 
hollow in the sand or bare rock—a single egg 
is laid and hatched. Goonies are certainly grace¬ 
ful birds, both on the wing and when swimming 
on the water. On the wing their flight is that 
of the albatross—the easy flight and poise of the 
vulture—and on the water they rival the duck. 
Certainly they have nothing to fear from the 
ocean which, next to the air, is their native 
element. Even in the wildest weather they are 
apparently indifferent to the fury of the gale 
or the tumult of the sea—sailing, without appar¬ 
ent effort, into the very teeth of the wind or 
riding undismayed the tossing, seething billows. 
Though occasionally partaking of a varied diet, 
goonies are essentially carnivorous. When fol¬ 
lowing ships they are very alert, circling here 
and there and ever scanning the wake of the 
SPREADING THE WINGS OF THE WHITE GOONIE ON 
the Galilee’s deck. 
vessel for refuse from the galley, of which there 
is usually an ample supply; at other times they 
feed upon squids and other marine food. At 
night they congregate and sleep upon the waves, 
though, like the boobies, they evidently see in 
partial darkness much better than most other 
birds, for we have frequently observed them on 
the wing after nightfall. In calm weather they 
are easily caught by angling over the stern of 
a slow-moving vessel with a long line and hook 
baited with meat, and when brought aboard ship, 
as a rule promptly eject the contents of their 
stomachs. This is commonly said to be the re¬ 
sult of seasickness on the part of the bird, in¬ 
duced by the movement of the vessel, but we 
have seen it done when the vessel moved scarcely 
at all, and believe it to be rather a method of 
offense or defense—as with the buzzard, little 
green heron, etc.—and we further believe this 
to be true of the albatrosses generally. 
^[to be concluded.] 
The Dogs and the Tip. 
Georgetown, Wash.. May 12.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: I would like to give an instance 
to show that animals can understand what is 
said about them—call it reason, instinct or what¬ 
ever you please, I do not know which. While 
at my son’s house in Seattle a fine pointer dog 
came to the back door and tried to get in. He 
was admitted, and at once made himself at home. 
Seeing a collar on his neck with his owner’s 
name and address on it, my son went to the 
phone and called up the owner whose house was 
about four miles away. He was asked if he 
had lost a dog. Said he did not think so, as he 
had not missed his. 
Telling him where the dog was, he was asked 
if he should be confined until called for. “Oh, 
no,” said he; “the brute is a regular tramp; goes 
everywhere. Just give him a good licking, turn 
him loose, and start him home.” 
The conversation was laughingly repeated to 
those in the room. The dog, hearing what was 
said,’ immediately ran out the door and started 
down street in a hurry. 
Later he was reported as having arrived safely 
at home. 
I would want no further evidence to convince 
me that the dog understood perfectly what was 
said about him, and acted accordingly. Probably 
he had been whipped previously for the same 
trick and knew what to expect. 
That dogs will acquire a vagrant habit I also 
know, for a fine pointer pup stayed away from 
me and was finally picked up, brought home, 
confined in a yard and well fed. He escaped, 
was caught again, and got away; was frequently 
seen feeding out of garbage cans at restaurant 
back doors and in neighboring alleys, eating 
trash thrown out from kitchens, but he would 
not stay at home at all. He was a tramp. 
Senex. 
A Skunk in a Fog. 
Wymore, Neb., May 12. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: It is not all of hunting to hunt, or of 
shooting to shoot; the best part of it is to be 
out of doors, to go to the sandhills and take 
that long forty-mile drive away from the rail¬ 
road and watch prairie dogs and snakes along 
the road, and to enjoy all the many things that 
can happen in forty miles. 
A year ago last fall I enjoyed myself almost 
as much during my ride from the Stilson ranch 
to the railroad as while hunting grouse. It was 
a warm, sleepy day, and if one could keep awake, 
he could enjoy every minute of his ride. 
While drowsing and nodding in my seat, the 
driver called my attention to a skunk that was 
running parallel with the wagon. I wanted to 
get out and get him by the tail and bring him 
home, but my companions objected so strenu¬ 
ously that I gave up the idea. They had never 
heard of carrying a skunk by the tail. So I con¬ 
cluded if they would not let me have it for a 
pet, I would shoot it; so, without stopping the 
team, I blazed away, but held a little too far 
ahead and missed it. The shot turned it, and as 
it started straight away, I gave it the other load 
of No. 6 chilled, raking it from stern to stem, 
and over it went on its back with all four feet 
sticking straight up in the air and kicking. Then 
a mist arose and completely enveloped it, so 
that it was entirely hidden from sight. The 
mist rose nearly three feet high, then settled 
back to earth, and there lay the skunk dead. 
That was the largest skunk I have ever seen, 
but things grow very large in the West. Just 
the other day a neighbor of mine was presented 
with a new baby, and not having any scales 
upon which to weigh it, he waited until the ice 
man came along and weighed it on his scales, 
and it weighed 19J4 pounds. 
A. D. McCandless. 
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