232 



RECREA TION. 



the remainder of the afternoon, while I 

 fished. 



Talk about the hind foot of a church- 

 yard, moonlight rabbit! It isn't in it with 

 a live, 4-footed rabbit. Bass began to bite, 

 and in short order I took in 16. 



When I reached the shore, the rabbit was 

 released, when, with a wink of thanks, he 

 made a leap and in an instant was out of 

 sight in the brush. 



S. P. Lazarus. 



A WHALE AND A THRASHER SHARK. 

 Waukegan, 111. 



Two years ago in March I was opposite 

 La Libertad, San Salvador, Central Amer- 

 ica, on the steamship " Colon." 



Our vessel was anchored about a mile 

 from shore. It was a beautiful evening, 

 and the ocean was very calm. About a 

 block from our boat 2 other vessels were 

 anchored, about a block and a half apart. 

 While I was watching these ships, a whale 

 made his appearance, and spouted water 

 from his head. Almost simultaneous with 

 the whale's advent, a huge fish, apparently 

 20 feet long, arose from the water, and fell 

 upon the whale! This performance con- 

 tinued until the 2 animals passed behind 

 one of the other vessels. 



The fish that made the attack was very 

 much like a shark and of immense size. It 

 did not use its tail, but seemed to fall upon 

 the whale. It rose about 2-3 of its length 

 out of the water before falling, and when- 

 ever the whale spouted this " thrasher " 

 would strike its crushing blow. Four of 

 the U. S. blue jackets, from the " Philadel- 

 phia," were on deck, and they said it was 

 a " thrasher shark " and considered the 

 spectacle a rare one. The whole spectacle 

 was not more than a block off. The light 

 was good and the view quite unobstructed. 

 Edward Ford Gavin. 



NOTES. 



Your note on the study of eyes is a good 

 idea. Few people can tell the color or 

 shape of pupil in even the commonest ani- 

 mal. I have recently noted the difference 

 between the eyes used by taxidermists, for 

 sheep and goats (wild), and the natural 

 color of eyes in these animals. I have 

 carefully noticed the eyes of these animals, 

 both when freshly killed and in articulo 

 mortis. Both are usually given a pale stone 

 colored iris, although some taxidermists 

 use the proper color. According to my 

 observations the goat has a rather dark 

 brown iris and the sheep a light yellowish 

 brown. Raw sienna would be about the 

 right shade. The pupils, when fresh, were 

 small, irregular circles, not ovals, although 

 this may change according to light. 



Allan Brooks, Vernon, B. C. 



I should be glad to hear from every 

 naturalist, sportsrnan and woodsman who 

 has ever observed the eyes of birds or 

 mammals. This is a most important sub- 

 ject and should be fully and freely dis- 

 cussed. — Editor. 



Will opossums breed in captivity; and 

 will the male destroy the young, if kept 

 with the mother? 



T. F. Hickman, Lebanon, Pa. 



Answer. — It is exceedingly difficult to 

 arrange conditions so perfectly that the 

 opossum will breed in confinement. Many 

 naturalists have tried it and failed; and I 

 do not know of a single instance of suc- 

 cess. Many opossums have been born in 

 captivity, but only through catching wild 

 females, in the breeding season. A male 

 opossum should never be confined in the 

 same cage with the female and her young. 

 The latter should have perfect seclusion 

 and a dark sleeping den, for use in the day- 

 time. This rule holds good in the case of 

 nearly all wild animals. — Editor. 



I enclose you the measurements of an 

 antelope head that I have, which are as fol- 

 lows: 



Length of left horn. ...17 inches. 

 Length of right horn. .i6y 2 inches. 



Spread at tips 13 inches. 



Spread at widest part. .14 inches. 



Length of skull 13^ inches. 



Circumference at base. 7^4 inches. 



These measurements have been carefully 

 taken, and are correct. 



L. A. Metzel, Puller Springs, Mont. 



The comparison of notes on antelope 

 heads has become decidedly interesting. 

 Of those recorded thus far, Mr. Metzel's 

 specimen seems to be the leader. — Editor. 



I now have over 80 elk in my park. In 

 fact my superintendent thinks there are be- 

 tween 90 and 100. 



I recently obtained 5 moose, which are 

 doing well; but am in the market for 10 

 or 15 more. Edward H. Litchfield, 



59 Wall Street, New York. 



I will esteem it a personal favor if you 

 will send me the names and addresses of 

 all the sportsmen you know, who are not 

 yet readers of Recreation. 



AH who join the L. A. S. before June 

 1st will be enrolled as charter members. 

 Send in your dollar at once. 



A tele-photo lens worth $150 as a pre- 

 mium for 100 subscriptions. Who will be 

 the first to earn it? 



