604 MUSK OXEN IN CAPT1VITY« 



other thing's, to capture musk oxen, and empowered the author, as 

 director of the ;^oolooical garden, to send with it assistants for this 

 purpose. 



The sununer was a very favorable one, as the ice rarely prevented 

 the vessel from approacliing the coast. As a result of all the eti'orts 

 there was a total of 13 calves obtained. The Danes got a male calf, 

 captured on the 12th of August and which arrived at the zoological 

 garden at Copenhagen on the Tth of Octolter. Here it is still living-, 

 and the photographs reproduced herewith show the progress of its 

 development. The Swedes obtained two calves, a male and a female, 

 which were put in a large inclosure in Norrland, wdiere they thrive 

 excellently. The Norwegians relied upon expert hunters, so that they 

 obtained no less than 9 calves, together with 1 male of 1899. It is 

 not quite clear how they made this capture. The Danes, I am sorry 

 to say. used the violent method of shooting down the whole herd of 

 adult tinimals in order to obtain a calf or calves. It is stated that 

 some of the Norwegians used a better method — namely, that of kill- 

 ing only the mother. Then when the calf took flight with the herd 

 thev did not ft)llow it. but secreted themselves near the dead cow. If 

 the calf came back later to the body, they then captured it without 

 nmch difficulty. 



The male of 1899 mentioned above was brought to Hammerfest. 

 Unfortunately during the struggle that occurred at its capture it lost 

 its left horn. It was sold to Carl Hagen})eck and by him disposed of 

 to the Berlin garden, where it is still to be found. Its left horn has 

 grown again, but the tip is wanting. 



Two brothers from Aalesund brought in no less than 5 calves, which 

 they sent to the Antwerp garden. These, however, were so weak or 

 so badly nourished that they died, either on the way or shortly after 

 arrival. The remaining 4 arrived in Tromso. Informed of the mat- 

 ter l)y Professor Nathorst, C. F. Liljevalch, a wealthy Swede, pur- 

 chased them and brought them-to Medstugan, in Jemtland, in order to 

 attempt to acclimatize them, as Nathorst thought that, on account of 

 their fine wool, the}' would make valuable domestic animals. Unfor- 

 tunately one of these had a wound on its back which, being under its 

 thick coat, w^as not observed. It inflamed, and the animal died. The 

 3 last (1 ])ull and 2 heifers) throve very well until the bull and one 

 heifer succumbed on August 30 of last year to a contagious skin 

 disease which carried ofl' a large number of domestic cattle in that 

 region, both last year and the present one. The remaining cow is 

 believed to have been taken to Norrland and placed with the 2 from 

 the Kolthoff expedition. 



There are. therefore, at the present time (sunmier of 1903) living 

 in Europe 5 musk oxen — 3 in Sweden, 1 in Berlin, and 1 in Copenha- 



