FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 71 



NATIONAL COLLECTION OF HEADS AND HORNS 



Throughout the past year, the Director found it necessary 

 to devote a very considerable amount of time and labor to the 

 collection of heads and horns, now being formed by the sports- 

 men of America and elsewhere, and which finally will form an 

 important feature of public interest in the Zoological Park. The 

 scope and purpose of this effort has already been set forth ; and 

 it is only necessary to add here that the chief object of the collec- 

 tion is to gather and preserve permanently, for the benefit of the 

 world at large — and before it is too late — an adequate represen- 

 tation of the great game animals of the world. This is not only 

 desirable, but necessary, because of the disappearance of the 

 natural proportion of old and finely developed male individuals 

 of many much-hunted species. 



During the past year, a great number of new and highly 

 valuable additions to the collection have been received, from 

 many parts of the world. On January 1, 1910, the collection con- 

 tained a total of 634 specimens. During the past year all of these 

 were catalogued, all save a very few were measured, and about 

 500 labels, with data and measurements, were written by the 

 Director, and printed. About forty heads were mounted, all the 

 skulls were cleaned, and about 300 skulls and horns were mount- 

 ed on shields, for hanging. Naturally, this extra work, and the 

 superintendence of all not done by himself, consumed so much of 

 the Director's time that the upkeep of his regular duties was 

 rendered difficult. 



As soon as this National Collection is completed, it will tem- 

 porarily be arranged and hung in the two picture galleries of the 

 Administration Building, where it will remain until a special 

 building can be erected for it, in order that it can be thrown open 

 to the public. Elsewhere in this volume appears a full list of the 

 gifts made to this collection during the past year. 



THE MONTANA NATIONAL BISON RANGE AND HERD 



Another matter that involved the Director in a really serious 

 amount of extra work was the raising, by a popular subscription, 

 of $10,800, for the purchase, by the American Bison Society, of 

 the bison herd that the Society had pledged itself to present to 

 the National Government as soon as the range at Ravalli was 

 ready to receive it. The fund was completed in May, 1909, and 

 the fence around the bison range was finished (by the govern- 

 ment), on October 12. Early in September it was necessary for 



