he California coast and west coast of 
Baja, or Lower California, Mexico. 
In Japan and California it is very 
scarce and legislation has been recently 
?uacted to protect it from complete ex¬ 
amination. In Mexico the exported 
ibalone product amounts to about 4,000 
ons annually. There are no prohibitive 
aws and it is due for complete extinc- 
ion unless something be done to protect 
it. Wealthy concessionairs grant per¬ 
mits to the Japs for a small "license fee 
tnd the only revenue the Mexican gov¬ 
ernment derives from this industry is a 
lominal tax on the original concession. 
The abalone is somewhat larger than 
he giant clam and is ear-shaped. It is 
mnetured along one edge by a curving 
row of small holes. At first sight one is 
mpelled to ask for the other half. But 
here is only one side; it is not a bivalve 
eut a univale, having a tough, gristly 
inderpart by which it clings tenaciously 
o submerged rocks. 
The abalone shell is extremely beauti- 
ul and varied in color ranging from a 
leep blue-black to a brilliant red. It is 
he most striking object the curio dealer 
j jells on the West Coast. Tt is cleaned 
vith acid and takes a very high polish. 
The West Coast of Baja California 
s, perhaps, the only virgin abalone field 
emaining in the world. The Japs with 
heir expert diving crews follow the ser- 
ated coast line from mean high water 
o a depth of forty feet working over 
I very square foot of stony surface, 
'heir process of fishing and drying is 
nique and it takes approximately sixty 
ays before the univalve is ready for 
bipment. 
Turtle Bay is a small, protected and 
hallow harbor. Turtles abound and 
I resh water is plentiful and is perhaps 
i ie last point going south where a sup- 
ly of pure drinking water may be had. 
■ A modern diving apparatus is installed 
i a large, flat-bottomed row boat, cap- 
de of carrying ten or twelve men. Two 
Tra diving suits, a Japanese pump 
hich operates like a bar on the old- 
ishioned railroad handcar to force the 
r to the diver, and rope baskets com- 
1 ete the equipment. The boat is rowed 
.'er the abalone ground and the diver 
!>ns his helmet and suit. His hands are 
ire and the band tied tightly around 
; s wrists. Then he goes over the gun- 
j ale with his woven rope basket and a 
l n g> ihm steel bar. This he slips under 
: e abalone as it feeds, forcing it to 
i eak its grip on the rock. An active 
j \er will gather from two to three thou- 
nd pounds in ten hours. He must 
me to the surface at regular intervals 
get relief from the pressure which 
lies according' to the depth in which 
| 1S working. He gives the signal cord 
couple of jerks, holds his finger over 
e air-exhaust valve, his suit fills with 
r and he comes shooting to the surface 
r. e a c °rk. The helpers grab him 
I'ickly and unscrew his helmet. The 
j st thing he asks for is a cigarette. 
| P ne diver I saw, who said he was 
| irty-five, was waiting for a tramp junk 
j take him back to; Japan to die. ITe 
! >ked sixty. He had been working too 
J ig under pressure and his chest nerve 
?e 251 
centers had become paralyzed or atro¬ 
phied. Large knots appeared on his 
breast, which, I suppose, had been caused 
by a too sudden release of pressure. The 
eyes of rock cod pop out when caught 
and brought to the surface, as they are 
a deep water fish and live where the 
pressure must be very great. I have 
seen the Yaqui Indian pearl divers at 
La Paz, Mexico, with similar knots on 
their breasts. 
While the diver is working the men 
in the boat are busy except the pump 
men, cutting the meat from the shells 
which were thrown over the side. This 
meat is pure white like the breast of a 
chicken. Also it is very firm. It is very 
palatable and tastes much like an oyster 
or large clam. It can be eaten before 
drying but must be prepared carefully. 
It is sliced to a thickness of half an inch 
and then beaten with an axe for an 
hour until the fibre is broken. Then it 
can be dipped into a thick batter and 
fried quickly. It is a great delicacy. 
The Japs at the end of a day’s fishing 
take the meat and throw it into large 
kettles of boiling salt water. There it 
cooks for four hours and is placed upon 
drying racks under the direct rays of the 
sun. Here it remains for from thirty 
to sixty days until thoroughly dry. This 
prevents decay and it will then keep in¬ 
definitely. 
This dried abalone product is sacked 
and twice a year junks take on the cargo 
and either ship it to San Francisco or go 
straight to Japan. The Chinese and 
Japanese consider it a great and rare 
luxury and an offering' before many a 
little Buddhist temple shrine always con¬ 
tains dried abalone meat, when it can 
he had. 
O. C. Dare, Chicago. 
FRIENDLY BEARS 
Dear Forest and Stream : 
FHERE is something in the environ¬ 
ment of Vancouver Island which 
seems to soften the temper of the black 
bear. As proof of this I give the follow¬ 
ing true account of a friendly Mr. Bruin 
who lives in the woods up at Sproat 
Lake, in the center of the island, with 
a picture of two line repairmen holding 
out overtures to another one at Great 
Central Lake, near Port Alberni. 
The bear at Sproat Lake was first dis¬ 
covered by a party of surveyors early 
last summer. They had made camp at 
a certain spot and left some days later 
for further supplies. When they re¬ 
turned they saw a large black bear sit¬ 
ting contentedly by the remains of their 
fire, munching at some of their proven¬ 
der. He did not seem very much dis¬ 
turbed at their approach, not nearly so 
afraid of them as they were of him. 
While they stood at a respectful distance 
discussing just what method of pro¬ 
cedure to follow, Mr. Bruin finished his 
meal, licked his chops, got up and am¬ 
bled into the bush. 
They did not see him again for some 
days, though they heard him prowling 
around after they had gone to bed. 
I hey would not think of shooting him 
because they were immensely interested 
in watching developments. 
The second time they went away they 
purposely left some stale buns and other 
fodder where he could get it, and they 
did not go far, nor remain long. Com¬ 
ing back they found him as before and 
this time he had finished his meal and 
was waiting for them. To their amaze¬ 
ment he moved slowly but surely down 
to the shore in their direction. They 
halted the launch a few feet out from 
the shore, but the animal showed no 
evidence of impatience. He sat down to 
await their pleasure and blinked his lit¬ 
tle eyes at them sleepily. 
Throw him a bun,” somebody ad¬ 
vised somebody else, and the bun was 
thrown. It landed some few feet from 
the bear who showed his appreciation by 
going after it with alacrity and eating 
it with relish. All doubts about the 
bear’s animosity being now set at rest, 
the surveyors landed, albeit a bit warily, 
and made further overtures, taking care 
to keep a safe distance away from the 
animal. 
This was the beginning of the bear’s 
summer adventures. In the course of 
time, he grew more and more confident. 
The surveyors left, but the bear’s fame 
had spread abroad and many visitors to 
Sproat Lake sought out his retreat, 
bringing him dainties. He showed no 
partiality to anyone. He was willing to 
accept food from anyone. He was some¬ 
thing of an epicure. He was especially 
fond of buns with raisins in them, and 
he would drink ginger pop out of a 
bottle. 
The chug-chugging of a motor-boat 
was the signal for him to come out of 
the bush and move with eagerness to the 
little interval of beach where he waited 
for whatever goodies his human friends 
might provide. Though of so trusting a 
disposition there were limits beyond 
which those friends never ventured. If 
they came just a few inches too close, 
the bear would look at them with re¬ 
proach and turn away, making off to the 
shelter of the woods. 
When winter comes Sproat Lake 
freezes around the edges, and there is 
snow in the woods. Bears and other 
wild animals seek the green mildness of 
the forest lands further to the south of 
the island. It is the fervent hope of 
those who had the pleasure of meeting 
Mr. Bruin in his home last summer that 
he will return again this year, and not 
fall a victim to the hunters of big game 
during the season. For if perchance he 
saw a hunting party he would not try 
in the least to avoid them but would 
probably come ambling to meet them, in 
the hope of getting a bun with currants 
in it, or a bottle of ginger pop. 
The picture is of quite another bear, 
but the two line repairmen, having heard 
the above story are trying to make 
friends with him. He has just emerged 
from the woods,, and they are enticing 
him with some food they are carrying. 
Note the very alert and vigilant attitude 
of the two men. They are ready to run 
at the slightest sign of danger. 
N. de Bertrand Lugkjn, 
Victoria, B. C. 
