,34 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



animal, unless there is a fair chance that it 

 can live a reasonable length of time. For half 

 a century, zoological gardens have been de- 

 sirous of settling, without too great expense, 

 the mucli-debated question — can the Musk-Ox 

 survive in the temperate zone? 



At Lady Franklin Bay, General Greely's 

 party captured the first calves ever taken alive 

 and kept in captivity ; but conditions rendered 

 it impossible to keep them alive for more than 

 a very brief period. In March, 1898, Mr. C. 

 J. Jones made a trip to the Barren Grounds 

 for the sole purpose of collecting and bring- 

 ing out a number of calves. Five head were 

 actually caught, and driven two days' journey 

 southward. During that time, Mr. Jones and 

 his solitary white companion, George Rea, 

 fought the hordes of fierce wolves which beset 

 them, until utterly exhausted. At last, when 

 the wolves had been left behind, and the two 

 hunters finally slept for a few brief hours, a 

 party of Indians stole up, and with their 

 knives murdered all five of the calves — in 

 order that all the other Musk-Ox of the Bar- 

 ren Grounds should not follow them out of 

 the country ! 



On August i6th, 1899, the Swedish arctic 

 expedition on the east coast of Greenland 

 captured two male Musk-Ox calves, on Claver- 

 ing Island (Lat. 74° N.). Both those animals 

 survived. One is now in the park of the Duke 

 of Bedford, at Woburn Abbey, England, the 

 other is in the Berlin Zoological Garden, and 

 both are doing well. These specimens were 

 the first to reach civilization alive. 



In March, 1901, Captain H. H. Bodfish 

 sent out from the Whaling Steamer Beluga, 

 then wintering in the Arctic Ocean, north of 

 Great Bear Lake, a party of whalers and 

 Eskimo hunters, for the purpose of capturing 

 live Musk-Ox. About 30 miles from the coast 

 the party encountered a herd containing four 

 calves, all four of which were finally captured. 

 Unfortunately, however, two of the calves 

 were soon killed by the savage sled-dogs. 

 The two remaining animals were harnessed to 

 sleds, and driven back to the ship. 



In a short time, a third calf was killed by 

 the dogs, leaving only one specimen, a female 

 about one year old. This was successfully 



preserved, fed on willow twigs and coarse 

 grass from the Barren Grounds, and finally 

 brought to San Francisco. As soon as civ- 

 ilized hay became procurable, she began to 

 eat it with relish, and her former diet of wil- 

 low twigs was forever discontinued. 



On reaching San Francisco, the little Musk- 

 Ox was offered for sale at $3,000, and if the 

 Western Union Telegraph Company did not 

 declare an extra dividend because of the 

 Musk-Ox telegrams that went hurtling to and 

 fro across continents and under seas, it was 

 not the fault of the senders. Eventually it 

 came to pass that the animal was brought to 

 New York, and offered to the Society for 

 $1,600. The opportunity was reported to 

 Hon. William C. Whitney, who immediately 

 purchased the specimen, and presented it to 

 the Society. 



This animal is the greatest prize which 

 thus far has entered the Zoological Park. At 

 the time of her arrival, March 12, 1902, she 

 was 22 months old, and her measurements 

 were as follows : 



Length of head and body.. . . 4 feet 10 inches 



Height at shoulders 3 " 2 " 



Height at middle of bade. . . 2 " 11 " 



Height at hips 3 " i 



Length of horns on curve. . . 10 " 



Her horns were six inches apart at the 

 base, and this space was filled by a mass of 

 woolly gray hair, like the frontal band which 

 characterizes Ovibos zvanii. Eventually, how- 

 ever, the horns will grow together at the base 

 until they meet in the center of the forehead. 



■' Olive " is very comfortably — even luxuri- 

 ously — cjuartered in the most northern en- 

 closure of Mountain Sheep Hill, where she 

 has level, grassy earth, a rocky hill, abundant 

 shade, and a subterranean den that is cool in 

 summer. On very hot days, its atmosphere is 

 still further reduced in temperature by big 

 blocks of ice. She is very comfortable, and 

 in perfect health. Her food consists of clover 

 hay, crushed oats, green vegetables, and fresh 

 grass from which green clover is carefully 

 excluded. She has browsed down nearly all 

 the bushes that originally grew in her en- 

 closure. 



In temper she is docile, but stubborn, and 



