70 NORTH AMERICAS MAMMALS 



At the end oi" tlic hall is ji (iroup of Roosevelt KIk found in the Coast 



T> , T-i, ]^ani;e from British ('olunil)ia to northern California. Once 



Roosevelt Elk i i , i i i • , 



abnndjint, they have become niucli reauced ni numbers, 



thou^di an effort is now l)eing made to preserve them. 



Near by is a grouj) of that interesting animal, the Beaver, perhaps the 



_ most important of North American mammals and one 



Beaver . . 



intimately connected with the early history and explora- 

 tion of this country 



On the south side of the hall are (hsplayed the cloven-hoofed animals 



of North America. These include sheep, musk ox, caribou, 

 ^ collared peccary and \arious species of deer. In one of 



the cases is a group of antelope showing the manner in 



which tliey wander across the plains. 



Here too are, for the time being, show^n the mammals of the polar 



regions, placed in the North American hall in order that the Southeast 



Pavilion, which once harbored them, may be used as a workroom for the 



preparation of a group of African Elephants and other mammals from the 



dark continent. Though the room is closed to the public yet much of the 



interesting Avork of preparing these groups may be seen from the gallery 



above, and later on visitors will be admitted on certain days. 



Grant's caribou inhabit the barren ground of the ex- 

 Grant's . 

 Q u r- treme western end of the Alaskan peninsula. The type 



specimen of this species is in the Museum. 



Near by is a group of the Atlantic walrus. These huge mammals 



__ , ^ are relatives of the seals, inhabit the waters of the far north 



walrus Group 



and are still fairly abundant along the shores of Greenland. 



The seal and walrus are the animals which play such an important part in 



the life of the Eskimo. From these animals come the principal food supply, 



skins for clothing, for fishing and hunting gear, boat covers, and harnesses 



for dog teams; from bones and tusks are made knives, bows, harpoons, and 



other hunting and cooking utensils. 



The specimens in the musk ox group were collected for the IMuseum 



by Admiral Pearv in 189(). ]\Iusk oxen inhabit the snow- 

 Peary Musk " , V 1 i • 1 1- • -1 

 Q P covered wastes oi the Arctic barrens, Iivmg mamly upon 



willow leaves, dug up from under the snow. 

 Note the various devices in the way of labels introduced to make the 

 exhibits interesting and instriicti\e. At the entrance attention is called to the 

 principal causes influencing the distribution of mammals; on many of the 

 labels are maps showing the range of the species shown, and near the group 

 of ]\ronntain Sheep is a la])el including a map and miniature models illus- 

 trating the species of North American motmtain sheep and their range. 



SOUTHEAST PAVILION 



Being used as a workroom; see paragraph above. 



