The Wapiti and his Antlers. 65 



in a similar manner on two other occasions in respect to the 

 "largest wapiti head on record." 



According to the second edition of Rowland Ward's "Records 

 of Big Game," a head belonging to Major-Gen. Sir Wm. 

 Grossman was the largest on record, the antlers measuring 73in. 

 and 69in. respectively. I was anxious to verify these astonishing 

 dimensions, and wrote to the owner in Northumberland about it, 

 asking him to allow me to publish an illustration of the head. He 

 very kindly at once sent me a photograph of the trophy, with the 

 permission to do anything I liked with it. He also gave me the 

 following account of how he came into possession of the antlers : 

 "I happened, in the year 1881, to be in Portland, Oregon, U.S., 

 and strolled one day into the hall of a fire brigade station in which 

 a number of very fine heads were fixed on the walls. This one 

 particularly struck me from its size and symmetry, and the 

 peculiarity of the antlers crossing at the tips. The owner 

 refused to sell any at first, but after some talk and bargaining 

 I got possession of it and sent it here, where it has been ever 

 since." 



The first glance at the photograph sent me, removed from 

 my mind all doubt about this head being the identical one 

 which I had examined a short time before the General's visit 

 to Portland, and which I found was built up of two pairs of 

 antlers. The head was hanging at the time, also, in a fire 

 brigade hall, and at first the people refused to take it down. 

 Being acquainted with some of the "leading citizens" of Portland, 

 I managed at last to examine it. It revealed what I had suspected 

 from the first, namely, that it was built up of two pairs of 

 wapiti antlers, the upper length being cleverly joined on above 

 the fourth tine, the seam being covered with cement or plaster- 

 of-Paris stained in close imitation of the dark reddish brown 

 tint which, we know, is a peculiarity of Pacific coast wapiti 

 antlers. 



On receiving this photograph, which instantly recalled the 

 incident to my mind, I at once communicated my suspicions to the 



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