The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 13, 1897, Page 19

P THE SAN FRANCISC2 CALL, SUNDAY, JUNE 13, EXPLORATION OF SANTA ROSA ISLAND / By Dr. Gustav Eisen of the California Academy of Sciences. e department of biology of the Acad- also the Japan cu ed from an exploration trip to Santa Rosa tie Iy gratified with what he saw and founa The accepted geological history of the group of islands is that they yw little is ired in these days to were once part of the mainland, but when the coast sank to its present he aoctor hus good reason for being position they w-re isolaled by the waters of the Pacitic. Dr. Eisen’s bas he ascertained all about the fauna work on the island only strensthens this theory, i, indeed, it does not is geographical and physical prove it beyond doubt. Uulike the Farsllones, Santa Rosa Island is | new specimens 1o entomolo, t thereis plenty of vegeiation. Trees grow in all mportant find of several vears. T where the wind blows the hardest. d that we udied At present Santa Rosa Island is being used ss a cattle and sheep e to the scientific world, but aside ranch. it is managed by the A. P. More estate, and communication land is by a schooner of sixty tons., Santa Barbara is the smount of Gnstav Eisen, cu t, both of which combine to give it many peculiaris just retu ra of theisland, and much abou one of covered with soil, a observe; Ci'y several weeks, and devoted ide, and passage between is lik y an He brought back several ur hours to four days. Generaliy the time is about thirty-six nd also a number of he island a Island has been surv t, but Dr. yed by the Governmen ©oitin the interest ¢ the Academ - ever mad e chain of islands tbat form It is the most norther the first of Science stitutions. of it by any of the State i located that sweep of the prevailin T is known to be nearly circular in form, the two widest points \ be Ive miles across. The highest point is 1200 feet above the e island. . Eisen’s first work was to make a study of the pbysical conditions © as to be ab.e to judge of any peculiarities in the fauna and as he found them. He found the island to be of rocky fors soil on the hillsides and sandiin the hollows. Most nearly in the center ¢ 1e is abrupt, ihe northern shore being only steep bluffs that d far out to sea. At m and is very rough, and la points, all seasons of the y he sea around \ding in a smail boat, excent at very few tremely aifficult. The westera side of the island is devoid of trees, although grass grows in moist places. On the eastern side of the island y and y Woen they happen to be in such a position as to caten ches are all biown on one side by the wind and the tree endicular position, from h it might be judzed ory when the wind did not blow ful on the mainland, is not to be found. The chances are that it never did exist on the island. The only mammals to be found are skunks, foxes and mice—on'y one kind of each. trees, as well as oaks, grow well Only two kinds of reptiles were found, although the conditions exist- ing seem to be just st ted to them, These were batrachians, can be found in any of the streams around San Francisco. Birds of several kinds visit the island, but for some reason none ever breed there. Doves come by the thourands, but do not stay long. This esime as was a period in the islana’s bis y it does now. is hard to expiain, as the island wouid appear to bea safe and comfort- - =~ On the s T point of the island & most interestng phenom= gp o gy ; but not a nest can be found. Thousands of very enon was obs It was the formation of a sand spit thatextends yiooo visit the islands at intervals. They are of the common about five miles toward the island further 10 the south. This Liasbeen (ociee put for some reason are very wicked and do considerable damage going on for vears a constantly increasing i re it Will ¢ yhep'are not watched. Their worst habit is to fly at the eves of sheep between the iwo 1s:ands and m On 8an ypeil he animal is blinded. The eyes are then ecten cut and anoth to the northb, the e phenomenon be going sheep attacked. Where these ravens come Irom or where they go to aiter e end of the t is a few miles from Santa Rosa 4peir periodical visits is a myster: n the present generati 13 probable that the two islands Scientists will be sorry to know that the sea-otter is extinct on Santa Rosa Isiand. This creature was very plentiful a few vears ago, but none on Santa Rosa Jsland , but is not always good. In nd the greater portion of it contains ale It flows erous. No record bave been seen for a long time. Dr. Eisen watched for them in asys- tematic manner in the places where they were most likely to be not discover any traces of them. The chances are that if they appeared sa Island they have disappeared from other places as well, so that it won't be long before it will be impossible to obtain a single specime ces of the 1 Santa ietermine 50 that th The most important find made by Dr. Eisen was a spider of a kind ‘ s discovered hereiofore unknown to sc sts. nge-looking creature, with ther ns that any ever 3 pumber of peculiarities all its general appearance it looks | ong way » the ageof e eacrab. lts buck is red and gold in color ana covered witha i e common » 80 PIent fine «ilky hair. its legs are jet black, very long and tough. and free from coverinz. In fact its iegs are smooth and sh a beetle’s, All of these legs come from the thorax. 1t has no head, but its eight eyes are ‘ 1 1 the end of the body. Dr. Eisen secured several specimens of this s , although it was somewhat scarce. Itseemed tolive in the vicinity ne habits actus trees. At least thatis where they were ali found. and breeaing of this spider have yet to be determined, and it in the hopes of recovering something from them is still lying on the shore. It was found, after the venture proved a failure, that it would cost more to put the machinery on board a steamer than it was worth, owing to the roughness of the sea at the places where the wrecks are lying The s gest man of the few who live on Santa Rosa [sland is San- Quinteros. But Santiago mizht also be said to be one of the strang- est men in the country. He isa hermit from choice and lives in a cave because he w 1 rather live there than any other place in th 1. - Indisan skulls to be Santiago is a man of some means and also earns s would seem interesting study. The spider is the mosti al subjects, S0 the importance of the discovery can be realiz ¢ Of beetles Dr. Eisen found several hundred, but they have not yet been Id whether there are any new ones amon portant of all entom of 2 new i up so it ca @ W It has of course long been known that th | | & t e money from the 1 on the island, but Dr. Eisen made » careful examination of the estate, but he aften s months in his cave without seeing a per:on. | R they are 1o be found and secured a number of specimen He has a couple of dozs, who live in small caves near his, and altogetiier | ™ hat all the graves are located with some sort of plar and that they are a happy fam Santiago’s cave is & natural hole in the rock, {2 ried in a sitting posture, o nches of sand with the front boarded up and fixed with a door. He has a stove and 1t top of the head. Theraiss y that the beads ple of good furniture, so that he is absolutely comfortable. He I T at the time of burial, but tuat the sand atterward lived alone in his cave for over thirty years. e ncealing them from view. One of the skulls secured Santa Rosa Isiand is about the only place on the coast where abalones S b; Ei as if it once bLelonged o a whi can still be obtained. They are stiil pientiful, although a few vears a larger1n size t he Indian skulls and has none of the shar the Chinese found out about it and the work of exterminating them is ed another interes! to savages. Should this fact be substantia N ssing as fast as possible. Last year they secured fifteen tonsani study will be opened. All of these skulls wili be prepared and placed on expect much more this year. exuibition in the academ Wha —~y - BN s of great nee toscientists is the fact that on Santa Rosa v out four vears azo the ships Crown of England and t: len Isiand Dr. Eisen secured several specimens of the original California 1 E Ho 1 spite of all the buffeting eartbworm. These are about extinct on the mainland, they having been ! | shevit hen the hulis are still intact. The waves wa ariven away by the vast numbers and greater vigor of Eu a worms i SiirThu b ut when the water is low both of them are pla The worms are the same exactly as those found or the mainland, proving visible. The wrecking machinery which was broughtoutatgreat expense that the island was once a part of it. HOW OCCUPATION HAS CREATED A RACE %= \Z77 TRAVELING COMPANIONS. time and, knowing that the waier was no- where more than achar-|mind of et d calied to a hospitable old fel- | their own, wh ch is cf course unconsti hree temy o +l, and the marriage is not a narriage | the idlers in the crowd: “Here's half a | of France to bt the same as were ne 10 the laws of the stale, | crown for the man who fetches that doz 114 : J s s act, many officials have be rest of the population e wer: as order enough to satisfy the mer- . . s S e Europe Together Without Meeting. mud rushed Du Maurier, breaking his thin ice until he reachied | Ail Bohemia knows the friendship that | But the two men are the happest of De seized exists between William Keith, the painter, | companion gether tney ha As it is at pr rfered with i the charcoal police- there would be no need ¢ s, and like nothing better than . To- e qone Yosemite and the which Keith declares are and which Muir contends subjects for the painters ser they have footed it over a large part of this State, and together planned, during World’s Fair year, to do some portion of Europe. : They were a long time getting started. Several times the date was fixed for their departure, but each time Keith was busy i |on a canvas that he had got to finish ientist. | then or never, or sume other emergenc most co | and Jobn Muir, the California s ° Those who know them vest are convinced | Vould arise demanding his aitention. that the tie that binds their hearts to- | At last thee came a time when be was gether is the difference between their | Willing to go. Muir was down on his similarities. Mr. Muir is convinced in | Fanch at Mari when the artist wired his heart of hearts that Mr. Keith cannot | that . e could stand this delsy no longer, The conservatism easiest & cannot gh repres vear, never marrying outside of their own | Fapidiy in order to prevent a chili. He class and always living in the forest, | Was overtaken, however, by a man who to have the great authority upon glaciers day after, prepared for ‘get after’” one of his painting 74 | his arms and brought ashore, amid the | paint a true picture acd Keith issure | but should start the foll 1z day. Bac cheers of the bystanders. Muir is all wrong in his glacial theories, | Came a reply from M Couldn’t And so these people live on year after | His only tnought now was to run home g gives the artist more delight than | POssibly start then, but wouid be up the he trip. an Francisco, how- When he arrived in rial foll They never Know what it is o want and | Pressed him o accent a piece of money by | tyon never saw & su e that, | ever, Keith Lad gone on, leaving word in plenty never work very hard. They are content | Way of reward. Du Maurier declined with | g eith " the scientist wi standing in | that he could not wait, but would meet 13t Low certain things come about itis to let the world wag on as it pleases, just | thanks and pressed on with renewed | 004y dis-ust before his friend’s latest | the scientist in Chicago. So to Chicago mpos Sukiti xench so they can live in peace beneath the | V:£T- The man, however, would not be nclusively tha >n can remain still while the otbers move rapi on the highway of progress. The char- <bade of venerable trees. do enough work | ¢iscouraged in his charitable intention, 10 occupy themselves, and let the future | Put repeatedly urged the artist to accept a ot d1gelf tip for his trouble. The annoyance at length grew beyend even Du Maurier's @ take care | and thatch and are comfortable enough impressionist canvas. “Why 1in the | M. Muir traveled. There his traveling deuce don’t you imitate nature? You'll | COmpanion bad leit a mes never paint a decent picture till you can | “‘Couldn’t stand the crowd. Wou age for him: d wait , for bim in New York.” So, after taking a look through the exposition, Muir pushed coai-burners of France are to-day just 1 ca 3% fondness for a_joke, for the well-meaning forward to New Y to be met by a L BT e They are also generally clean. The veo- | Dy Maurier and th: Dog. | patron insisted upon putting a tip tato Da | message: ““Tired of waiting. Will meet zo, and ances are content ple themselves seem ir c}l';:elll. although | 1), Magrier loved dogs, asall of us do | Maurier's hands while he was fumbling | you in London.” Whereupon he tock the 10 remair it is 0 1ooked: upon samnecessity and s | Lo ADEUSES &% SHIES hecomes UDin who are normally constitutea. His pic- | for bis key on the front steps of his own steamer for London and repaired to the ligible. They claim to speak the pure, original Frenchb, and say the Parisian French is bad. They Lear it occasional from visitors and smile at it. On the whole these people live little bette our Indians and not as well as of Mexico, and yet they are a hundred times more inteliigent. They will not learn to read or write, bowever. | When a charcoa rent that they would vigorou v attempt to change their conditions. | autnorit ey Know tley e comfortable nd | de ppy now, end are content to remain so. tures are good evidence on this point, aud | house. oneof the conspicuous ornaments of his| Between this and the miserable chilli- Hampstead house was the skin of his huge | ness of his garments Du Maurier finally Newioundland pet, says Harper's Weekly. Oae day while taking his favorite walk about the heath he saw a gathering of people on the borders of a shallow pond which is & particaiar attraction of Hamp- stead. A thin coating of ive covered the | benefit, and are let severely alone by the hermore, they very sel- cause any troub e, and such a thing as one of them being in heard of. is, of urse, possible to give the Just when the charcoal-burners as a exact number of people engaged in the | class came into existence is unknown, but ness of charcoal-burning in France, | it was undoubtedly apout the time that because a census of tiem has never been | Paris became a city—possibly when it was ficials of the Government | still calied Lutetia, because it is known them of eno im- charcoal was used even in those il isn han 1o greaser taken. do mnot col nee 10 waste enougzh to move arourd its first work is eddress given by the artist. There Keith bad left word that he had found London | “too beastly foggs. Would see & Paris,” and Mr. Muir crossed the ‘ct | to learn that Keith had ‘“‘gone to Madnid. [ Would wait for him there’” At Madrid ! word was left that the impatient painter was on a trip through the country and would meet his chum in Edinburgh, whitber, like loyal Scots, they had planned port time finding out their numbers, but are content 1o group them | The charcos to pilgrim | At Edinburgh Keith was at Glasgow, but the friends met at last in London an { together took steamer for New York, bus Keith declares that “Muir is an cross fellow to travel with. He gr ail the way across about such littie as their not meeting where they a; and such like.” Joux To. burner’s child is bix | sthering the sticks of wood cut by the I-burners are distinetively FEE : P <! 7 rs. it helps attend the fires, in a herd like so many cattle. The num- | French in character and appearance of | COOPPers. Later . oo i | : | and finaliy it graduates to shoveling the | ber can, however, be sa en as some- | ieatures, but there the resemblance ceases. ‘ Y where in the neizhbortood of 25,000. That | They have not the least sympathy with | ATt OVer tbe pit. Then its lesson of life ! includes men, women and children, £ the nd care not whether work at the business with Little regard for | is ru'ed by a President, Emperor or King aceor ez In all parts of France wherever there are forests there are charcoal-burners. As it banpeas thewild foreats of :France ex: o - ; - L Not in His Diocese. tend across the belt, so| 2 i these people live in what mightbe called a zone of their own. 1t makesno difference £ where they live, though, they are alike in B manners 2nd conversation. The nearest charcoal-burners to Paris live in the foiest of Foutainebleau, al- | Happy was Bishop Potter’s repiy to a | brotber prelate whom he chanced to be visiting last summer at a popular seasida | resort. As the Bishops were waiking home from the Sunday-morning service they could not fail to notice the crowds of ‘out al- | e : € bathers in the surl, clad and unclad in all ough a few occasionally come to the | or whether it is ruled at sll, for that|is learned. The €hurch has trisd to con- | water, excepting where a little dog hadhor:nt that courtliness which was his dis- | *Look here, pow, John,” this very seri- | manaer of costumes. The resident pre- outskirts of the forest of Eaint Germain. | matter. vert tbese people, but made a failure of it. | broken :hrough and was ineffectually | tinguishing mark and snapped ou:: ously from the painter, “if you'll go out|late turned to his visiter, saying with a These people are exactly alike in man-| A visit to the charcoal-burners' vil'age | It is said that they once attended service, 1 struggling to get out ags The 1c2 . 7 + 8o to the devill'” | early to-morrow miorning and look toward | sigh: T ners, dress and customs as their co-labor- | in the lor st of Foutainebleau isequivalent | vears and years ago, but now refuse to | bowever, so weak that whenever thislittle| “Ob, 1 teg your pardon. sir,”” said the | the west you'll see nature imi ag my | *“Whst should you do ou were con- ers who live 200 miles away. They have | 10 a visit to ail the other villages of the | do so. creature drew its front paws up over s, By biushing persecuior, “I aid not know | sunrise, and then,’ Mr. Keith always|fronted by a problem like that in your shes a good atory on his | diocesa { burning charcoal, althouzh they use the | and so are the people. Each viliage uas | very young. the girls about 13 and the | him to repeat this painful operation again same method that was evolved from the' a head man, wiois invariab'y the oldest | boys about 15. They have a ceremony of | and again, until it looked as though the S STRERG g Sk | Gray horses are the longest fived. triend, *‘Muir will go off growling jooking | Bishop Potter quietly replied, “Brother, exactly I'ke Carlyle in a fit of dvspepsia.” i this is Dot my sce!”—Time ana the Hour. | practically a monopoly of the business ot | sume kind in France. Taey are all slike | As the children grow up they marry | edge, it broke under its weignt, and forced | you was a gentleman.’ | adas when ne &