6o 



RECREA T10N. 



lands where its big relative lives. It is said 

 to run but a short distance before hiding, 

 like the European Roebuck; and it shows 

 such an expanse of white tail and buttock 

 that at a rear view it looks like a pure white 

 deer. 



How many of the readers of Recreation 

 can add to our knowledge of its habits and 

 distribution? 



Ernest Seton Thompson, New York City. 



WORK IN THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



Work on the buildings, dens and aviaries 

 of the New York Zoological Park is being 

 pushed with great vigor. At this date. 13 

 different " installations " for animals are in 

 progress, as follows: the reptile house, bird 

 house, bear dens, wolf dens, fox dens, ducks' 

 aviary, flying cage, burrowing rodents' quar- 

 ters, prairie dog's knoll, beaver pond, buf- 

 falo house and mountain sheep's hill. The 

 €lk house was completed in October, and 

 immediately thereafter director Hornaday 

 moved his office from 69 Wall Street, and 

 established temporarily in that building the 

 offices of the Zoological Park. In a short 

 time 10 or 12 other installations 'will be 

 started, planned for completion by May 1st. 



The city of New York has entered vig- 

 orously on its share of the work, which 

 consists in making walks, roads and ponds, 

 laying water pipes and sewers, building 

 fences, workshops, etc. For this work a 

 fund of $64,250 has been appropriated, and 

 is now being expended in accordance with 

 the society's plans. Work will be continued 

 vigorously throughout the coming winter, 

 in order that the Park may be ready in 

 March to receive live animals, and to open 

 to the public in May. 



THOMPSON'S ANIMAL DRAWINGS. 



The New York Zoological Society has re- 

 ceived as a gift, for the use of its school of 

 animal painting and sculpture, a collection 

 of 50 wash drawings made by Ernest Seton 

 Thompson for Mrs. Mabel Osgood 

 Wright's " Four-footed Americans." 



By the terms of Mr. Thompson's contract 

 with the Macmillan Company, he was al- 

 lowed to retain the drawings, and to sell 

 them if he chose. On learning that the 

 drawings could be purchased, 5 prominent 

 members of the Zoological Society — Messrs. 

 Edward J. Berwind, Henry W. Poor, 

 Charles T. Barney, Charles A. Peabody, Jr., 

 and John L. Cadwalder promptly subscribed 

 the sum necessary to secure the entire col- 

 lection, and presented it to the Society. 



These drawings are, beyond doubt, the 

 finest representations of American quad- 

 rupeds ever produced in black and white. 

 They are the result of years of study and ob- 

 servation in the field, as a naturalist, and 

 years of successful work in the studio as a 

 delineator of animal forms. The great ma- 

 jority of these drawings are fairly beyond 

 criticism, and the Zoological Society may 



well be envied their possession. Besides be- 

 ing exhibited as they deserve, their special 

 use will be as part of the working equip- 

 ment of the school of animal painting and 

 sculpture which will be established in the 

 Zoological Park, next May. when the Park 

 will be formally opened to the public. To 

 students of animal drawing they will be a 

 genuine revelation. 



MOUNTAIN SHEEP SKETCHED FROM LIFE. 

 See page 18. 



Okanagan Landing, B. C. 



Editor Recreation: I send you 2 draw- 

 ings by mail to-day. The one of sheep was 

 made from a sketch taken directly from life. 

 I was up after sheep a week ago and as 

 rams were scarce, owing to the fact that a 

 party of hunters were in ahead of me, and 

 had driven them all away, I amused myself 

 with stalking the ewes and sketching them, 

 with the aid of a powerful binocular. 



The female shown in the drawing was a 

 large, dark colored one, with a light colored 

 lamb, which for some reason had lost the 

 natural wariness of their species. I got 

 within 130 yards and after sketching her, 

 tried to frighten her away. I could go no 

 farther without crossing the foot of the rock 

 slide she was on, and I knew she would 

 start a lot of rocks down hill as soon as she 

 moved. Waving my hat and shouting were 

 of no avail. She stood like a statue and I fi- 

 nally smashed a stone at one side of her, 

 with a rifle bullet, before she would go. 



The lamb looks " leggy " and awkward, 

 but this is true to nature, as you know. 



Allan Brooks. 



EGRETS TAKEN NEAR NEW YORK. 



" Get up, Alfred, there are some geese 

 on the pond," were the words which awoke 

 my cousin one morning. A single glance 

 from the window was sufficient. All ac- 

 coutred as he was, with suspenders hanging 

 in graceful festoons from his hastily but- 

 toned trousers, he rushed to the pond, 

 reaching it in time to secure a shot at 2 

 white objects. A single shot, but a double 

 fatality. Both the strange feathered visitors, 

 with snowy forms, lay prone on the water. 

 No one in the neighborhood had ever seen 

 such birds before. At last someone sug- 

 gested taking the unknown quantity to an 

 ornithological expert. If patient accumu- 

 lation, and arsenical stuffing of bird skins 

 can make an expert, I am one; and to me 

 the birds were brought. 



They were white egrets, Ardea egrctta. 

 I stuffed the birds, and they were photo- 

 graphed by my friend, Mr. Barnes. 



Charles C. Owen. 



NOTES. 

 I have a nest of young hawks. A friend 

 who makes a study of birds and snakes, 

 says they are red tailed chicken hawks. 



