302 



RECREA TION. 



overspread the land and with resistless en- 

 ergy and ruthless zeal waged war, not only 

 on the savages, but on the beasts that had 

 been their prey. It was a war of exter- 

 mination, fierce and long continued. The 

 Indian, a tattered remnant, is still with us, 

 a truce having been declared; but the war 

 on the wild beasts of the forest and the 

 plain still goes unrelentingly on, and several 

 species, notably the bufTalo, the elk and the 

 antelope, are now nearly extinct. With 

 each succeeding year it becomes more ap- 

 parent that wild game will ultimately dis- 

 appear from the United States unless some 

 provision is speedily made to preserve it 

 from wanton destruction. The few large 

 game preserves now maintained in the East 

 by men of wealth, were established because 

 their, owners found they were frequently 

 disappointed after going long distances in 

 quest of their favorite sport, because of the 

 wholesale slaughter of wild game by market 

 hunters. 



The buffalo that 40 years ago roamed the 

 plains in countless millions is now no more, 

 as far as wild specimens are concerned. A 

 few are kept in parks and a few on ranches. 

 Those in parks are becoming inbred for 

 the lack of proper diligence in securing 

 sires from different herds. Those on 

 ranches fight the domestic cattle, so that it 

 angers the ranchman and he kills the buf- 

 falo, as he has the most interest in cattle. 

 Others who have not studied the breeding of 

 the buffalo dispose of them for what they 

 will bring for hide and meat. There have 

 been several shipments of buffalo to Eng- 

 land in the past 2 years. There is no good 

 reason why the buffalo could not be made 

 to breed as regularly as domestic cattle, 

 when once fully understood. 



In compiling a manuscript on the de- 

 struction of the buffalo, I learned much as 

 to the success and failure of the people who 

 had attempted to breed this noble animal, 

 and with what data I have, I am fully con- 

 vinced that it can be done successfully 

 under proper conditions. Anyone can 

 readily realize that the financial profit would 

 be great. I could go into further details, 

 but space will not permit. It would not 

 take much capital to monopolize the buf- 

 falo of the world, and some man could 

 make himself famous by taking this matter 

 in hand. Being a dealer in wild animals, 

 few can realize more than I the rapid de- 

 struction of all wild game animals that is 

 going on. 



I hope this may cause an investigation of 

 this subject and lead to some result. I am 

 glad to know that Congress is considering 

 a bill to protect the plumaged songsters 

 and to propagate and distribute game birds. 

 With the many years of experience I have 

 had, I am fully convinced it can be made 

 a grand success. 



Chas. Payne. 



CONCERNING THE PURCHASE OF ANIMALS 



The New York Zoological Society is in 

 receipt of so many inquiries regarding its 

 intentions as to the purchase of animals for 

 the Park, it is desirable that some informa- 

 tion on this subject should be published. 



The Society does not propose to engage 

 men on salaries, to travel for the purpose 

 of capturing wild animals. The cost would 

 be too great, and the results too meager, 

 to justify such a method. Nor does the So- 

 ciety propose, in many cases, to attempt to 

 purchase animals that are running wild, and 

 have not consented to be caught. Occa- 

 sionally, however, when a rare and particu- 

 larly desirable species is wanted, a standing 

 offer will be made to buy a certain number 

 of specimens at stated prices and under 

 stated conditions. As a general rule, most 

 attempts to buy animals previous to their 

 capture end in disagreement, or disappoint- 

 ment to at least one of the parties con- 

 cerned. " First catch your hare," is a rule 

 which is as sound in selling animals as in 

 cooking them. 



As a general thing, it is necessary for 

 every zoological garden or park to patron- 

 ize responsible dealers in live animals, as 

 also resident collectors. From hard-earned 

 experience they know how to crate and ship 

 animals to the best possible advantage. 

 They know it is unwise to forward a dis- 

 eased or deformed animal, and they also 

 know beforehand something about values 

 — which saves much time. Not unfrequent- 

 ly it happens that a hunter who captures an 

 animal that to him is strange, imagines that 

 it is worth double its real value, and feels 

 indignant when a zoological garden offers 

 him what is really a fair price. In about 

 19 cases out of every 20, the man who capt- 

 ures a wild animal thinks it is worth far 

 more than it really is. For example, if we 

 were to offer a farmer's boy $2.50 for a wild 

 goose that he had caught and cooped, the 

 chances are he would be highly indignant; 

 but at this moment we know of 32 wild 

 geese for sale, properly crated, at that price. 



If we were asked to name the greatest 

 small annoyance that comes in the daily 

 mail of a zoological park, we would reply: 

 the letters which say, " What will you give 

 me for it? " Very often not the slightest 

 clue is given to the size, age, sex, or con- 

 dition of the captive animal. All these are 

 left to be divined by the man who is asked 

 to submit an offer. Occasionally, how- 

 ever, it is possible to fix the value of an 

 animal, if it is fully and fairly described. 



The Society will not be ready to receive 

 any animals earlier than April. It is hoped 

 that some of the owners of large private 

 game preserves will present to the Society 

 enough animals to start the herds of buf- 

 falo, elk and deer, and that all friends of the 

 Society will do their utmost to bring about 

 the presentation to the Society of a large 

 number of desirable specimens. If the 



