Oct. is, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
605 
LIFE OF SOME DIFFERENT LANDS. 
products and animals of cape colony islands. 
Lying off the southern point of Africa are a 
multitude of islands inhabited by sea birds and 
a species of fur seal which has long been almost 
extinct. Concerning the product and the life of 
these islands Vice - Consul - General George L. 
Foster, of Cape Town, writes interestingly: 
The islands belonging to Cape Colony and dis¬ 
tributed along its coast, as well as along the 
coast of German Southwest Africa, are barren 
and rocky, bear little vegetation, and are merely 
immense rocks where human life can be sup¬ 
ported only by provisions from the mainland. 
These islands, however, which are divided into 
two groups known as the Colonial Islands on the 
coast of the Colony and the Ichaboe islands on 
the coast of German Southwest Africa, are a 
valuable asset to South Africa, inasmuch as they 
produce large quantities of guano, penguin eggs 
and a considerable number of sealskins, as well 
as some seal oil. The birds producing the guano 
are the penguin, malagas and the duiker, or 
cormorant, which live in myriads on the islands. 
The collection and sale of the guano is con¬ 
trolled entirely by the Government Agricultural 
Department, and exportation beyond the limits 
of South Africa is prohibited. About 7,000 tons 
are collected annually and brought to Cape Town 
where the Government depot is located. From 
here it is supplied direct to the farmers through¬ 
out the country, who are charged about $30 per 
ton when it would be possible to obtain $20 per 
ton more by selling to private contractors or 
exporting it to England. The quality is said to 
be exceptionally high in comparison with that 
produced in other parts of the world. 
In addition to the guano produced by the isl¬ 
ands mentioned, South Africa imported foreign 
guano in 1909 to the value of $12,049, artificial 
manures $142,423 and phosphates $179,204. Only 
3,000 pounds of artificial manures, valued at $9, 
came from the United States, 180 pounds of the 
guano, valued at $5, and none of the phosphates. 
The farmers in South Africa are given a great 
advantage by the Government in being supplied 
guano at about three-fifths of its value,' but the 
quantity that the Government is able to supply 
from its insular possessions is so small, as the 
importations from other sources evidence, that 
there is a good field for other lines of fertilizers. 
The farmers, too, are in many instances using 
guano where other fertilizers are needed, and 
could be supplied at much lower cost to them. 
With the advent of more modern and scientific 
methods of agriculture there will be increased 
demands for fertilizers, and American exporters 
should make a greater effort to introduce their 
goods. 
PENGUIN EGGS. 
The number of penguin eggs collected annually 
from the islands is about 600,000. These are sold 
by contract to a Cape Town firm at twenty-one 
cents per dozen. The demand for these eggs in 
South Africa is not increasing, but rather the 
reverse, as hens’ eggs become more plentiful and 
consequently cheaper. They cannot be said to 
take the place of fowls’ eggs except in cases 
where the fishy taste of their yolk is disguised 
in cooking: An effort was made to introduce 
their use into England in 1908, apparently with 
considerable success, but there has been a de¬ 
crease in the demand and few are now shipped 
to that market. These eggs are considered a 
great delicacy by some, and it is thought that 
if they were better known in other parts of the 
world, their popularity would increase. They 
are retailed here at forty-two cents per dozen 
and are two to three times the size of the ordi¬ 
nary hen’s egg. 
The contractors state that about 400,000 more 
could be collected yearly if a market could be 
found for them. The export price charged by 
the contractors is $2.43 to $2.67 per hundred, anil 
they are willing to ship a small sample lot to 
any produce merchant in the United States who 
will pay the transportation charges in order to 
test them in the American market. The season 
for collecting the eggs is from January to June. 
During 1909 seal skins to the number of 3,362 
were taken from the islands, and the average 
price received in London was $5.16 each. Very 
few licenses are now issued to private persons 
by the Government—last year only four—and the 
sealing industry was carried on by the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture. An annual license of 
$24.33 for a boat of twenty tons or under and 
$121.66 for boats over twenty tons is charged 
private seal fishermen, and in addition a royalty 
of twenty-four cents each on skins secured. In 
the past some very profitable sealing has been 
done, but latterly the seals have been too scarce 
to make the industry sufficiently profitable for 
private individuals to risk paying the license and 
fitting out craft for sealing. The number 'of 
seals, known as Arctoceplmlus pusillus, is now 
increasing, and under strict government protec¬ 
tion the industry will doubtless thrive. During 
1909, 1,159 seal skins were taken by private in¬ 
dividuals under licenses issued by the Govern¬ 
ment, and $292 was paid on these to the Govern¬ 
ment as royalty. 
The amount of seal oil procured during 1909 
was 1,550 gallons, which was disposed of at 
sixty-one cents per gallon. This product has not 
brought so high prices since whaling syndicates 
have been operating on the coast of South Africa, 
by whom large quantities of whale oil have been 
placed on this market. 
GAME IN EAST AFRICA. 
According to an official report, a slight in¬ 
crease in the number of sporting parties in the 
East Africa Protectorate took place during the 
year 1907-8, and on the whole good bags were 
made. Though the greater part of the country 
near the railway has been taken up, there are 
still considerable areas where good sport may 
be had. Sportsmen made bigger bags of lion 
during the year than usual. There has been a 
satisfactory increase in the numbers of eland, 
buffalo, giraffe, and ostriches. This is also the 
case with zebra and hartebeest, but as they do 
considerable damage to fences and crops this is 
not so satisfactory. The drouth of the previous 
year continued over the greater part of the 
country, and game libs been very local. Fortu¬ 
nately most of the spots where the animals 
congregated were in the Southern Reserve anti 
out-of-the-way districts. 
In Jubaland game has suffered severely from 
rinderpest—giraffe, lesser kudu, and pig being 
the species most affected. On the Athi Plains 
an outbreak of a so far unknown disease took 
place among the zebra, and also to a smaller 
extent affected the hartebeest. Among the 
hyena and jackal a severe outbreak of dis¬ 
temper caused considerable decrease in num¬ 
bers all over the country. Hunting dogs also 
appeared to have suffered, as they do not seem 
to be so numerous as they were. Ostriches did 
remarkably well during the year, and consign¬ 
ments of feathers have been shipped with fairly 
satisfactory results. The wild bird of East 
Africa is generally said to be superior in size 
and plumage to the wild bird of South Africa. 
The period, therefore, to raise the quality of 
the feather to a high standard should be cor¬ 
respondingly shortened, especially if due care 
is taken at the outset in selection and breeding 
from only the best birds. A number of incu¬ 
bators have been imported, and an increase in 
the number of artificially-hatched birds is an¬ 
ticipated.—-The Field. 
SATISFIED HIS CURIOSITY. 
A stolen peek at an ancient powder horn 
by the light of a burning newspaper caused an 
explosion and nearly caused the death last night 
of Walter Jones, 15 years old. says the Pitts¬ 
burg Post. As Jones and his curious boy 
friends examined the horn, -its contents ex¬ 
ploded, seriously burning Jones. 
The boy had seen the horn, which was an 
heirloom, hanging on the walls of his home for 
years, but never dared to disturb it until last 
night. 
Tilting the horn that he might examine the 
inside more closely the boy brought it too close 
to the lighted paper. His face and hands were 
severely burned, and his hair was nearly all 
burned off. 
Steel Fishing Rod& 
Somewhere the sun is always shining,—and the fish are 
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There is a special “BRISTOL”, peculiarly and distinct¬ 
ively adapted to each kind of fishing. Fit your “BRIS¬ 
TOL” to your fish and you will come home with the fish 
and a reputation. The season is open all fall and winter 
in many places for bass, pike, pickerel, perch, crappie, 
muskie, carp, tarpon, tuna and dozens of other good ones. 
Go after them and get a real rest. Insist on having a 
steel rod with the "BRISTOL” trade mark on the handle. 
Catalog Mailed Free. 
THE HORTON MFG. CO. 
84 Horton St. Bristol, Conn. 
KEEP 
<iY0UR RAZOR SHARP 
K| Don t blame the razor if it dulls quickly. May- 
be it’s your fault. Rub a few drops of 3-in-One 
oil on your razor strop. When leather is pliable 
strop as usual. Any razor will cut easier, better 
and stay sharp longer. After using, draw blade 
between thumb and finger moistened with 3-in-One. 
This prevents rust, keeps edge smooth ar.d keen, 
always sharp and ready for immediate use. Don’t scrape 
your face. Use 3-in-One on your razor and shave right. 
pDpp Write for liberal free sample and special 
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, ONE OIL COMPANY. , 12 New St., New York. 
Let Us Tan Your Hide. 
And let us do your head mounting-, rug, robe, coat, and 
glove making. You never lose anything and generally 
gain by dealing direct with headquarters. 
We tan deer skins with hair on for rugs, or trophies, or 
dress them into buckskin glove leather. Bear, dog, calf, 
cow. horse or any other kind of hide or skin tanned with 
the hair or fur on, and finished soft, light, odorless, moth 
proof and made up into rugs, gloves, caps, men’s and 
women’s garments when so ordered. 
Get our illustrated catalog which gives prices of tanning, 
taxidermy and head mounting. Also prices of fur goods 
and big mounted game heads we sell. 
THE CROSBY FRISIAN FUR COMPANY, 
584 Lycll Avenue - - Rochester, N. Yi 
