The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 27, 1897, Page 17

The seals of Ano Nueyo Island are prac- , notwithstanding herds there are the lar Coast and the habits of the most destinctive. In many wa: similar to those of sea birds. On the rock-, or rooker seals. and the of al the The se 1f you will lovk at a map of California, an closeiv examine the southwesiern poriion of the coast of San Mateo County, you will find Ano Nuevo Island. Although only about thirty-five miles from ;San Francisco, in a direct line, it is a most difficult place to get at. If everyining | goes well it can be reached in about twelve | hours, but should tbere be a detention of eny kind the journey may consume two days. The nearest town is Pescadero, fourteer miles to the north. Ano Nuevo Isiand is cut off from the mainland by a channel about a niile wide, and the only way to cross is in the boat of the keepers of the Government fog signal. The seal rocks are scattered to the north- the s, are covered with Young are born and raised there, it the old females. For months okeries are comparatively deserted. ward of the island, the closest being only | about 500 feet away. 1t was for the purpose of ascertaining something about the habits of these seals and obtaining pictures of them that a CALL representative visited Ano Nuevo Isiand last week, just in the-height of the breeding season. Keeper Biitweil of the fog signal, whose onportunt ing. seals have undoubtedly been most favorable, gladly furmshed all informa- tion and acted as guide to the seal rocks. S8ome of the facts that be has gatuered in regard to the habits of seals and the causes of their extermination are surpris- ing and valuable. He has watched the herds constantly at all seasons for a period of eight years, and the location of the rocks, lying as they do so close to the island, makes the seals’ actions as easily observable as if they were on the stage of a theater. “Years ago,” said Mr. Butwell, “there used to be tens of thousands of seals on these rocks, and the killing of them was a profitable industry. for belting and soid for a good price. “In those days the rocks were leased to | hunters, and the killing went on at a rapid rate. Of course the seals rapidly diminished in numbers, as mal temales aud pups were killed indiscriminately. When I came here eight years ago all this had stopped. No hunters were allowed on the rocks, and it would seem as if the herds should have again multiplied; but they didn’t. For four vears they kept get- ting fewer, until there were hardly 500 | left. About this time I began to study the | cause of the decrcase. From this point here on the island I can lock across to the rocks, and by taking & glass can bring | the seals up very close. I had previously noticed that some of the bulis had a habit of killing the young, but bad no idea the evil was so general as I found it to be on investigation. One morning I saw a cer- tain bull climb on the rocks and kill about half a dozen pups. Others did the same, so it was socn apparent to me that | the bulls were largely responsible for the decrease of the herds. “After becoming convinced that a num- ber of vicious bulls did all the mischief I began a systematic killing of wait. Whenever I caught an oid fellow in the act of killing a pup I puta bullet through his head. The first season I killed about fifty and saved many hun- dred pups, so that the second year the herds began to increase aud this year are larger than they have been since I com- menced my extermination of the vicious bulls. “The habits of these seals are most peculiar an! mysterious. After the pups are born on the rocks the cows spend two or three months teaching them to swim, and then'when the time comes take them to sea somewhere and leave them. The young seals do not return to the place of their birth until they are two years old, but where they spend the intervalis a mystery. So you see it took two years to y unknown to both scientists and the the fact that the on the Pacific species are s their habits are some what | ce 8 year | should be preserved. a general migration takes place | Is come and go at regular intervals. | es for study- | The hides were used | them. 1| used to goover on the rocksand liein | A AL A A LA O THE SEAL ROOK SAN MATEQ ’ bulls did any good or not. | isfied that it did. At a are increasing at a fair rat years, with proper nursix will be as numerous as e | “Butreally when we look at it right way there is no reason why th: rate the seals nd in a few , I think they in th | ter of sentiment. | destroy enough fish in a week to feed a zood-sized town for a month, and the damage done by the herd is beyond con- | ception. Seals are really the coyotes of | the sea, and if we look after our own in- terests we w ould be making efforts to de- | stroy them insiead of preserving them. However, it is no they will be de- stroyed, as they have ceased to be worth anything commerc ally “The largest on the rocks would not yield enough hide, whiskers, etc., to sell | for §150. When seal hides were used tor belting they were worth about $5 each but since rubber las been used for this | purpose they are no longer wanted. Seal hide is only used nbw for making buffing | wheels, and of nourse the demand is very light. Really the seals are not worth ing should be so inclined, and any at- tempt to do so as a matter of bu would surely result in loss.” Every statement made by Mr. Butwell was borne out by observation. Standing on the northern edge of Ano Nuevo Island the seals’ methods of destroying ke | fish could be readily seen. The tide sweeps rather swiftly through ihe chan- uel between the two points, and natursliy a school of fish would be carried along with, it. The rookeries will be thickly covered with seals, but tie instant a cer- | tain foamy streak appeared on the surface of the water there will be an almost in- stantaneous plunge inio the sea. Then the slanghter commen: The surface of the water is charned in | foam and the frightened fish dart in ail | directions only to run into more seuls. The amphibians bump into one another, roar and plunge after their prey. Ailis tumult, commotion and deaih 1o the fi-h. For a few minutes the seals undoubtedly | 'y their appetites by eating all the h they catch. but after that they simply kill for fun. When a sealis hungzry he | will swallow a fish wnole and be chasing | his victim is still in his | tbroat. But when his hunger grows less | o | anotber while [T —————————— | | DEATH oF A VICIOUS BULL | o l | | tell whether: the killing of the vicious But Iam sat- | ravenous he simply bitesout the back and | {5 throws the rest awa; instantanecus and the body of allowed to drop into the sea. the air bladders of the fish have not been broken the body will surtace of the water will by ered with larpe saimon, sea bass and | trout—enough to feed a town. many more fish sink from sight, so that | the destruction is simply appalling. The fact that the bulls kill the young | seals would uppear to be simply another | demonstration of a certain aamitted fact | of natural come about is of course a mystery, but | there are numerous instances of the same species to become extinct means of accomplishing her end. ying—exce and puts a stop to it. When be has had | al playfully rolis over the waves, catches a fish | Of course deatn is the fish is Providing he its the face of ves it a crunch. float, and often the literally cov- Ot course | history. How such things | It would seem as if nature had con- that it was time for a certain | and took this | That would always succeed goes mnmm‘ where civilization steps in led | | to prevent being tangled in the long, | slimy tendrils of seaweed. The most common demonstration of | this is the case of the ordinary barnyard fowl. Itisa weli-known fact that where there are as many cocks as hens chicks cannot be raised. The cocks kill them, and if they were unmolested the species would soon become extinct. But civiliza- tion sieps in and destroys certain of the cocks. As a consequence we have all the chickens we want. Regardless of the destructive propensi- ties of the seal and a number of his objec- | tionable traits, he is the most picturesque creature that lives in tne sea, and, it mignt be added, the most picturesque that " lives on land. Like every other living | creature, the seal has good traits as well as bad traits, and is most interesting to | watch. While it is a most difficult matter | to reach the seal 1ookeries the experience is well worth the trip. Itis replete with incident, although not what would be | cailed dangerous. At low tide it 13 possible to walk from Ano Nuevo Island to the seal rocks. But not “‘with a dry foot,” as the sailora are wont to say. i Just at present the rookeries are in their | glory. The pups bave all been born and | | some of them are over a month old. "At | the time of THE CALL representative’s visit to the rocks Mr. Butwell had just mada up his mind to cispose of a few | vicious bulls he bad seen killing ‘the young, and he led the way from the island | to the rookeries. Climbing down the northern cliff of the 1sland the way lay over moss-covered rocks laid bare by the low tide. Walking is difficult work, as the moss, beautiful as it looks, affords a poor foothold. In fact | it affords no foothold at all, and it is only | by the greates: care thatslippingis pre- vented. Between the rocks are poois of | clear water, several inches deep, that | must be waded through and careexercised | | | | Just before the seal rock is reached there is a channel about two feet deep and twenty feet wide that must be waded. The seals show little signs of fear. A few have plunged from the cliff, but the others look at the intruders with curiosity a few moments and then seem to forget. Seen from across the narrow channel, the herd of seals lining the edge of the cliffs was as grand a sight as the world affords. There were thousands and thou- sands of the enormous creatures, closely packed in together like a flock of birds. In fact, the general effect of the herd was that of penguin All the seals roar vio- lently, so that it is impossible to hear the human voice. What monsters they are, and what power they possess of which they are unconscious. Just before wading the channel Mr. Butwell discharged his rifle. It was the first time the seals had heard the sound this year, and in an instant there was consternation. Hundreds of tons of flesh dropped into the sea in & moment, ani the waves rose to the top of the cliff, while the spray dasbed high into the air. It was several moments belore the water became quiet again, and then the herd was seen swimming in a bunch, undecided | what to do, and roaring with all their might. Although the sea was fairly black with seals, hundreds remained on the top of the cliffs. These were the old cows, who in some way seemed 10 realize that they were in no danger. On the opposite side of the channel, which was waded with difficulty and at the expens: of getting wet to the waist, there was alarge number of pups floun- dering helplessly over the moss-covered rocks. Numbersof them were ha!f-nidden in tiny caves at the base of the cliff, but came out intending to make friends. They did not show the slightest lear, but :lm t species, or three of &8 e RIES == THE COAST ~ = on the contrary seemed to want tobe| petted. Toey allowed themseives to be | patted on their backs, and in other w.ys{ showed pleasurs at receiving attention. | A young seal is one of the most pathet- | ic-looking creatures that live. Its ex- this course is dangerous, as the rocks are slippery, and should a man fall and the eal spring on him his life would be crushed out instantly. It is a remarkable fact that no scientific | men have ever made a study of the seals pression is much like that of a lamo, and | of Ano Nuevo Island. The fog signal log- it will look at you out of its large gray | pook shows that none have ever been eyes as if it really has feeling. The little there, and the only reason that can be feliows will follow one around the rock | given is that it is not generally known utterin: bleats like a goat. pups are a light gray, with black on the ends of the flippers. | The seals of Ano Nuevo Island, while | belonging to the same g-nus as those on | the Farallones and at the Cliff, are a dis- | They are very light in | color. Some of the cows are the color of manilla wrapping-paper and the darkest | of the bulls are a sort of ocher. They are almost the size of a walrus, a few of them being capcble of raising their heads about | | six feet above the rock, while still keep- ing their flippers on it. Many of them will measure eleven feet in length, when | streiched out, and weigh at least a ton | and a half. Itis all that four men can do to roll a deact bull over alevel and smooth place. To roll it up hill for even a few | feet is out of the question. | The cliffs around the seal rookeries are about twenty feet high at low tide and somewhat difficult of ascent. The rocks | are greasy, from the seals climbing over | them, and afford a poor foothold, as well | as being almost perpendicuiar. The top, however, is in the form of a series of ter- races or steps. Each of these is about two feet high, and the space between them is absotutely flat at the eastern wall, | although the whole rock tips to the west. i | As soon as the top of the rock became | visible the work of the bull seels was only too apparent. Dead pups were scattered on all sides and lome ones were strug- gling around, erying piteousiy. The old cows paid little attention and showed no | signs of fear. Their pups crawled close to them, but the old ones seemed to know that they were absolately safe and made | not the least move to protect them. After waiting quictly behind a project- ing ledge of rock and allowing most of the seals to crawl back on to the top of the cliff an old bull was seen at the south | | side of the island, beilowing fiercely. “That's one of the fellows I am after,” | | said Mr. Butwell “Now watch him. | Ihave seen him kill a dozen young ones | and disable several of the young females.” Watcbing his chance, the monster floated on the top of a wave, and then | | made a leap that landed him on the | rock, which hie struck so hard as to shake . Rushing at a yroup of cows, he pushed tiem over the cliff into the water. Then he made a charge into a number of pups that were sleeping peacefully in the sunshine. He simply dropped on two | the helpless creatures and | crushed the lives out of them. | Helena Then he ‘ such partition; In color these | that any seals ever come to the island. AN ODD DEED. Showing a Lnar\d 'Ix!lz From the TJime of Adam and Eve. In a history of the Methodist Episcopal church of Lewisburgh, Union County, Pa., is given a curious deed for the lot on which the first church was erected, and it | is of interest. The lot is known as No. 51 in the town plat, and is on the corner of ¥ront and Lewis streets. The deed from Clara Eilinkbuysen to. Flavel Roan, October 9, 1793, is a most extraordinary paper, its singularity seldom being equaled. It traces back title to the Cre- ator of the Universe and then down to lot No. 51 of Lewisburgh. Omitting the usual preliminaries, this remarkable document, of which Flavel Roan is the author, is as follows: *‘Waereas, The Creator of the Karth, by parole and livery of seizin, did enfeoff the parents of mankind, to wit, Adam and Eve, of all that certain tract of land called and known in the planetary sys- tem by the name of The Earth, together with all and singular the advantages, woods, Water-courses, easements, lib- | erties, privileges and all others the ap- purtenances whatsoever thereunto be- ionging or in any wise appertaining, to bave and to hold to them, the said Adam and Eve, and the heirs of their bodies lawfully to be begotten, in feetail general for ever, as by the said feoffment re- corded by Moses in the first chapter of the first book of his records, commonly called Genesis, more fuliy and at large appears on reference bemng ther:unto bad; and whereas, the said Adam and Eve died seized of the premises aforeszid in feetail ceneral, leaving issue, heirs of their budies, to wit, sons and daughters, who entered into the same premises and became thereof seized as tenants in common, by virtue of the donation aforesaid, and multiplied their seed upon the earth; and whereas, in process of time the heirs of the said Adam and Eve having become very nu- merous,and finding it to be inconvenient to remain in common as aforesaid, bethought themselves to make partition of the lands and tenements aforesaid to and amongst themselves, and they did accordingly make and whereas, by virtue seized those within his reack and began | of the said partition made by the heirs of tossing them in all directions. Some | said Adam and Eve, all that certain tract were thrown at least twenty feet 1nto the | of land called and known on the general PLUNGING INTO THE SURF | air, and falling on the rocks were crushed to deatb. Others were thrown into the sea and drowned, while a few were thrown with only enough force o braak theirribs, s0 they would wallow around helplessly to eventually die in agony. At tnis stage of the game Mr. Butwell raised his rifle and put a buliet behind the | brute’s ear. With a thud, it feli .to the rock, but although a 45-caliber bullet with ninety grains of powder behind it had been fired into its head, the bull was not dead. It quivered and florped, and then a number of cows rushed up and attacked 1t fiercely. These were chased off with stones. It is remarkable the amount of vitality there isin a seal. Five bullets had to be fired into the head of the one mentioned before it finally lay still. Of course if a single bullet had really reached to the brain, it would bave died instantly, but as the bullets, in some. instances, simply fracture the skull instead of going through ft. When the bull wasdead at last, the cows on the rock, slthough only eight or ten feet away, allowed it to be examined with- out showing any signs of aisturbance. If anyihing, the death of the bull caused them pleasure. The mother seals, always mild. think that their young are in danger they wiil fight fiercely, and if it becomes ne- cessary to wound one of them she will not leave the cliff unless her pup is where she can reach it. The cows are the best of mothers, young will not leave them for a moment. Generally it is possible to drive cff a cow seal by throwing stones at her. Should one be struck in the face she will show signs of fear and in most instances retreat. Should she refuse to do this it is necessary to get out ol her way; buteven however, are not | this is an almost impossible thing to do, | If they inany way come to | and when their pups are very | | | | | | | | plan of the said earth by the name of America, parcel of the said large tract was allotted and set over unto certain of the heirs aforesaid, to them and their heirs general, in fee-simple, who entered into the same and became thereof seized as aforesaid in their demesne, as of fee, and peopled the same allotted l2nds in sever- alty, and made partition thereof to and amongst their descendants. And, whereas, afterward (now deemed in time imme- morial) a certain united people called ‘The Six Nations of North America,’ heirs and descendants of the said grantees of America,became seized, and fora long time, whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary, have been seized in their demesne as of fee, and in a certain tract of country and land in the north division of America called and known at present on the general pian of the said north divi- sion by the name of Pennsylvania; and whereas, the said united nations, being so thereof seized aiterward—to wit, i the year of our Lord one thousand seven hun- dred and sixty-eight—by their certain deed of feoffment, with livery of seizin, did grant, barcain, sell, release, enfeoff, alien and confirm unto Thomas Penn and Richard Penn, otherwise called the Pro- prietaries of Pennsylvania (among other things), the country called Buffalo Val ley, situate on the south side of the west branch of the River Susquebanna.” The deed describes the title from the Penns to Richard Peters of atractof 320 acres called Prescott, which in 1773 was sold to Ludwig Derr, who in 1785 laid out the town of Lewisburgh. In 1818 lot No. 51 came into possession of the Methodist church, who built thereon. B England has fifty-eight prisons. Less than twenty years ago there were one hundred and thirteen. Absolute uni- formity prevails in them all in regard to diet, discipline and clothes.