U4 



RECREATION. 



IS THERE AN IBEX IN THIS 

 COUNTRY? 



For 20 years past I have been hearing 

 rumors and reading newspaper accounts of 

 the appearance of so-called ibex in Idaho, 

 Montana, Oregon, Washington or British 

 Columbia. I have always regarded these 

 stories as pipe dreams and have run down 

 several of them. In each case where it had 

 been claimed that the ibex had been killed 

 the specimen proved on examination either 

 a female mountain sheep or a white goat. 



The region in which it is claimed the 

 ibex has been found has been worked over 

 by fur traders and trappers for 200 years, 

 and if there were such an animal there 

 some one of those trappers, or some sports- 

 man or naturalist, would surely have taken 

 a specimen and it would have found its 

 way into some museum. 



Here is a letter that reads more like fact, 

 more like the report of a careful observer, 

 than any ibex story that has ever come to 

 my notice : 



Tacoma, Wash., Nov. 12, 1901. 

 In May, 1900, I was staying in the 

 Crow's Nest pass, Canadian Rockies. 

 One evening while going along the rail- 

 road track 2 animals came down from 

 the mountain side to the track. They 

 would have weighed about 160 to 180 

 pounds each. The color was ashy gray. 

 The hair on the back was about 6 inches 

 long and stood up, forming a black line 

 from the back of the head to the tail. 

 The under side was a little lighter color. 

 Legs were of medium length. The horns 

 were about 3 feet long, beautifully black, 

 curved back and a little outward. I was 

 within 15 yards of them and had a good 

 look at them. I believe they were ibex. 

 I send you a drawing of the head of one, 

 made while looking at them. I hunted 



for them a week or so aiter that, but 

 never saw them again. 



A rancher in Alberta told me that in 

 old times when he lived in Oregon he 

 saw several of these animals, which he 

 called antelope. He recognized the 

 drawing instantly as of the same animal. 



John F. Almon. 



Could these have been the descendants 

 of some domestic goats that were liberated 

 years ago ? Or is there really a species of 

 ibex indigenous to the Northwest? Who 

 can tell ? — Editor. 



AMATEUR PHOTO BY JULIUS STERNBERG. 



TUG OF WAR AT KETCHIKAN, ALASKA, JULY 4.TH. 



Indians vs. Whites. Declared a draw after 2 hours 

 and 15 minutes. 



BOIL IT DOWN. 



IS IT AN IBEX ? 



Joe Lincoln, in L. A. W. Bulletin. 

 If you have a thought that's happy, 

 Make it short and crisp and snappy. 

 When your brain its coin has minted, 

 Down the page your pen has sprinted. 

 If you want your effort printed, 

 Boil it down. 



Take out every surplus letter, — 

 Fewer syllables the better, — 

 Make your meaning plain, — express it 

 So< we'll know, not merely guess it. 

 Then, my friend, ere you address, it, 

 Boil it down. 



Boil out all the extra trimmings, — 

 Skim it well, then skim the skimmings,- 

 When you're sure 't would be a sin to 

 Cut another sentence into, 

 Send it on, and we'll be?in to 

 Boil it down. 

 Reprinted from March, 1901 Recreation. 



