The Wapiti and his Antlers. 67 



proof of the skill employed in the manufacture of these spurious 

 antlers. 



In the recently published third edition of Rowland Ward's 

 "Records of Big Game," the faked-up Oregon head is omitted, 

 and in its place, as the largest wapiti head on record, we find a 

 head belonging to Sheard, the Tacoma taxidermist, and which, 

 it is stated, measures yoin. in length, 68in. in outside width, 

 and i4|in. in circumference. No such head, I am convinced, is in 

 existence, the compiler of " Records " having probably copied 

 into his pages the largest dimension of each of three wapiti heads, 

 and endow r ed one head with these three record dimensions. That 

 this is the case is proved, it would seem to me, by a letter published 

 in the New York magazine Recreation, and signed by Sheard, in 

 which he distinctly speaks of three heads. The passage in question 

 runs : " I will show you a pair of elk horns that are perfectly even, 

 w r hich spread 68in. between the extreme outside edge of the main 

 beams. I will also show a photograph of a pair of elk horns the 

 left beam of which is join, long, the right beam 68jin. long, spread 

 62in. I will show you a photograph of a pair of elk horns that are 

 i4iin. in circumference around the burr, spread 58in." As this 

 letter appeared in a well-known New York periodical, American 

 sportsmen and naturalists probably know all about these three 

 heads, and it would be interesting to learn their opinion about 

 them.* 



* I take this opportunity to add the following further explanation concerning 

 this matter. On observing in the third edition of " Records" the mistake into 

 which I consider its compiler had fallen, I wrote at once to Sheard, in order to 

 make quite sure, asking him to send me a photograph of the long (/oin.) head, 

 he having previously sent me a photograph of the widest (68in. trophy). His 

 reply, under date of June 10, 189 . runs as follows : " I have no photo of the elk 

 head yoin. length and 62in. spread; the plate got broke, and this head is sold. 

 But I believe I sent you a photo of the elk head that spread 68in ; if not, I will." 

 The photograph he sent me is the one here reproduced. On receiving this 

 letter I mentioned in a letter to the Field the fact that Rowland Ward had 

 endowed his record wapiti head with dimensions that I thought it did not 

 possess. This letter appeared in the issue of Sept. 9, 1899. In the following 

 week's Field (Sept. 16, 1899) there appeared an editorial note stating, in 



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