74 



THE GAME BREEDER 



with its vistas of towering firs and hem- 

 locks peopled in the sun-flecked dis- 

 tance with the shadowy forms of slen- 

 der-limbed deer, timid antelopes or 

 stoical brown elks, each with his high- 

 crowned, kingly antlers swaying as he 

 swings across the light like branches in 

 the wind, the visitor has but to hear the 

 snapping of a twig, the creaking of a 

 crooked branch above his head, to fancy 

 the wild red man somewhere within 

 dangerous distance, watching over this, 

 his primeval home. 



For much of Mr. Richardson's success, 

 as he will admit, is due to the wonder- 

 fully primeval nature of his reserve. 

 Once across the edge of the forest every- 

 thing within becomes a part of an ani- 

 mal's paradise. 



In the sequestered depths of this 15 

 acres of forest there bubbles from be- 

 neath a hillside a tiny spring continu- 

 ally open, no matter how cold the sea- 

 son, from which beaten trails threading 

 away in many directions through the 

 wood proclaim the spot well known to 

 the wild inhabitants of the woods. 



Screened by a thicket at the base of a 

 rocky cliff in the deepest part of the 

 wood yawns the opening of a cave, the 

 haunt of an ugly-mannered wild boar, 

 whose approach is the signal for the 

 scattering of even the herds of huge 

 elk. 



Between the eight-foot wire fencing 

 that incloses the entire reserve and the 

 edge of the woods, a clearing of meadow 

 land and rocky pasture threaded by a 

 brook furnishes a home for the wild 

 geese and different varieties of pheas- 

 ants of which there are many in the 

 preserve. 



The inclosed park is in the shape of a 

 diamond with a cross fence through the 

 centre which gives the deer a chance 

 to be separate from the elk, entrance be- 

 ing left of sufficient size for the deer 

 to pass through at will, but not large 

 enough for the elk. 



In the wet and warmer seasons both 

 sides of the inclosure contain many a 

 larger pool fed by tiny hillside springs 

 where the elk and deer come to wallow 

 during the heat of the day. 



The Deer Park. 



On one of the high rocky cliffs com- 

 manding a splendid view of the sur- 

 roundings through the dense growth of 

 thickets the female elk retires to give 

 birth to her young, the spot being one 

 where she can watch for any intrusion. 



A few hours after birth the baby elk 

 is hidden here in the thickets by the 

 mother, who goes forth to feed, return- 

 ing each night for about three weeks 

 until the young one has grown large 

 enough to look out for itself. 



In describing the habits of his elk and 

 deer Mr. Richardson mentions the peculi- 

 arity of the animals in shedding their 

 antlers each season. 



The elk drop theirs in March or April, 

 according to their age; the Japanese 

 deer shed theirs the last of April, and the 

 common deer about January 1. 



In each case a new growth begins at 

 once, continuing "in the velvet" through 

 the summer months until about Oct. 1, 

 when the antlers begin to harden for the 

 winter. 



At this season of the year the elk of the 

 preserve are exceedingly dangerous and 

 fierce, aggressive in the possession of 

 their majestic defensive antlers, but as 

 soon as their horns drop they at once 

 become timid and are very hard to ap- 

 proach. 



Six years ago Mr. Richardson began 



