14 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS January, 1909 
articles of food. The domestication of 
the yak first took place centuries ago—how 
many it is impossible to say—and to-day 
a great part of the wealth of Tibet is 
counted in herds of this useful animal. 
The four remaining photographs were 
taken in the New York Zoological Park. 
The buftalo is one of the largest bulls in 
the fine herd which the collection includes. 
The great shaggy head wears a rather 
bored expression, for in order to take the 
photograph, Mr. Bison was interrupted 
in the pleasurable occupation of eating his 
lunch, and as the photograph shows, he 
did not even have time to use his napkin. 
The illustration gives the observer a good 
idea of the massive head and powerful 
fore-quarters of these wild cattle of the 
plains, now unfortunately practically ex- 
tinct. ‘The elephant is of about the same 
size as Hattie, and nearly as clever. It is 
used to carry the children, who obtain the 
does not contradict this characteristic. 
Keeper Snyder, who is well known to 
the New York public as an expert ele- 
phant trainer, is here shown putting his 
favorite, Hattie, through her clever paces. 
Hattie, despite her worried expression, is 
a most affable creature and we feel sure 
that the difficulty of her balancing act quite 
warrants her perturbation of mind. ‘The 
yak, photographed at the door of his 
domicile, is an inoffensive creature as a 
rule, though his undomesticated relatives 
ot the Central Asian mountains will some- 
times charge upon hunters or travelers 
with the utmost ferocity. ‘To the inhabi- 
tants of Tibet, which country is Mr. Yak’s 
native heath, he is practically invaluable, 
being used as a bearer of burdens where 
no other four-footed creature can go, his 
thick, soft fur supplying his master with 
excellent covering, while yak milk, butter 
and flesh are said to be without equal as Hattie performing one of her difficult tricks 
exciting pleasure of an elephant ride upon 
the payment of a nominal sum. As the 
photograph was taken, the huge pachy- 
derm was stepping over the wire fences 
along one of the walks, and it is ludicrous 
to see the almost painful carefulness with 
which the ponderous foot is raised so as 
not to injure the obstacle. The two bears 
are of the European Brown variety, and 
are the particular friends of the keeper 
shown in the engraving. So peaceful and 
even suppliant do they look as posed for 
the picture that it is hard to imagine the 
enormous muscular effort and blind rage 
of which they are capable when aroused. 
The single bear on the rock is a very large 
Silvertip Grizzly, presented to the Park by 
the Engineers’ Club of New York Citv. 
The grizzly is acknowledged to be one of 
the most powerful and ferocious animals 
The Silvertip grizzly presented by the Engineers’ Club to the Bronx Zoo in existence, and the appearance of that 
