148 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



lectured here Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, on " Colours 

 of Animals," " Mimicry," and " Oceanic Islands," and every day 

 had drives or excursions about the country or to Mr. Talbot's 

 zoological farm. On the Sunday morning after my arrival 

 Mr. Talbot called in a two-horsed buggy to take me to his 

 farm ; two other gentlemen in another ; Judge Wakefield, 

 Miss W. (the lady who painted flowers), and two children in a 

 third. We first went to a bluff near the town to see a thick 

 bed of loess resting on glacial drift, and this on Cretaceous 

 sandstone. Then up the valley of the great Sioux river, a 

 fine, clear stream, passing another bluff showing a thick bed 

 of obliquely stratified gravel with enclosed pebbles and 

 boulders, and about one hundred and fifty feet of loess over 

 it. We then turned up a thinly wooded valley to Mr. Talbot's 

 farm, about four miles from the city. Here we picnicked in 

 a rather scrubby wood with very little shade, as no leaves 

 were yet out, and it was very hot and dusty ; but we had 

 quite a luxurious feast and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, 

 lighting a fire and making tea and coffee to finish with. 



We then inspected our host's animals — six fine American 

 bisons, twelve elks, an East Indian zebu, a drove of solid- 

 hoofed pigs, a flock of four-horned sheep, hybrids of zebu 

 and cattle, a fine trotting colt, wolves, foxes, rabbits, wild 

 geese, and other aquatic birds, pigeons, rattlesnakes, and 

 other curious birds and reptiles. He has here six thousand 

 acres of land, wooded valleys, and prairie, where, besides 

 keeping all these animals in order to observe their habits, 

 make experiments on their instincts, etc., he carries on a 

 considerable business in growing agricultural seeds of choice 

 qualities, breeding the solid-hoofed hogs, which are said to 

 be superior for fattening purposes, as well as the four-horned 

 sheep, Angora goats, hybrid cattle, etc. He has also 

 patented metallic tags for identifying cattle and other farm 

 stock, and several agricultural implements. These animals 

 are all looked after by youths trained by himself — boys and 

 girls, who are, he finds, as soon as they take an interest in 

 the work, much more trustworthy than any men. He has 

 also a large building for a museum, or rather laboratory, of 



