206 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Makch 9, 1898. 



NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



The condition of the National Zoological Park at 

 "Washington, in which so much interest has been taken 

 by onr readers, seems far from satisfactory. This is due 

 largely to the entirely inadequate aj^propriations granted 

 by Congress. Of the popularity of the Park as a resort 

 there is no doubt. The public interest in it has steadily 

 increased from the time of its establishment, and even in 

 its present unfinished state the number of visitors during 

 a single day, in pleasant weather, sometimes reaches from 

 five to ten thousand. 



The area of the Park is about 167 acres, and before it 

 can become a resort for the people it will be necessary 

 to fence this whole territory, to make walks and drive- 

 ways through it; fences and buUdings must be erected to 

 shelter the animals, food provided and men hired to care 

 for them. Of com-se, after the initial expenses for fences, 

 roadways, buildings and other permanent improvements 

 have been paid, they will not recm- and the Park can 

 be kept in good order at a moderate annual outlay. 



When Congress decided to establish this Zoological 

 Park it assumed certain obligations to provide for its 

 proper care and maintenance, and it is perfectly evident 

 that since the Park is for living wild animals some suit- 

 able buildings for their restraint and protection must be 

 constructed. Such buildings cannot be had without 

 money. 



In his report for the year ending Jime 30, 1891, the Sec- 

 retary of the Smithsonian Institution asked for the appro- 

 priation of $101,350, of which two-thirds were for build- 

 ings and the improvement of the grounds, Avliile the re- 

 maining third, or about $35,000, was for the care and food 

 of Hving animals, the policing of the Park, and for the 

 safety of the pubhc. This appropriation of $35,000 was re- 

 duced by Congress about one-half. The result of this was 

 that the" animals in the Park were insufficiently fed, im- 

 properly cared for by an overworked force of keepers, 

 there was no money to expend on collections, and conse- 

 quently they were not increased. As no sufficient appro- 

 priations were made for the care of the grounds, recently 

 made improvements were greatly injured by rainstorms 

 and freshets. New roads and gnjtters were cut out, new 

 slopes of earth washed away, and recently planted trees 

 and brush torn up by the roots.' The bear pits were in- 

 jured by the precipitation into them of tons of earth and 

 rock. Through the lack of a sufficient number of watch- 

 men, valuable animals were injured, and in one case lost. 



In, 1893 provision somewhat more Uberal was made, 

 amounting to $50,000, a gross sum to be expended in the 

 discretion of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 That this will aU be used up and more will be needed is 

 apparent. Nearly $30,000 will be required for the feeding 

 and care of the animals, and for the pay of the employees. 

 The remainder will be used in completing buildings and 

 inclosm-es now unfinished, and in the improvement of the 

 water supply and of the roads and slopes. 



In any collection of captive animals of this kind, the 

 death rate is high, and it is always foxtnd that the rarest 

 and most valuable specimens are those which are most 

 subject to disease. So long as the olficials of the Zoolog- 

 ical Park are without means to pay for specimens, or even 

 to paj^ for the transportation of animals which may be 

 presented to them, no progrress can he made toward secur- 

 ing f< I- the Park at Washington a representative collec- 

 tion of North American aniinals. Congress should take 

 a broader view of this subject than it has in the past, and 

 by cutting oS a few unnecessary items from such bills as 

 the River and Hafbor Imjjrovement bill, they could find 

 abundant means for the improvement and maintenance 

 of ti\e National Zoological Park. 



We give below a list of the animals now in the Park: 



Animals in the National Zoological Park. Jan. 1, 

 1S93. 



■ ]V1AMMALS. 



Kra iiion key QMncacus cynomolgiis) 1 



Macaque monkey iMucacus spO 3 



Diana luoiikoy (Cercopitheciis diana} 1 



Gray capparo (Lagotlirix humboldUi) 1 



Douroucouli C^l/"t'pitliocus trivinjodus) :1 



Sctuirrel uionicey (Chrysotli.rix sciureus) 1 



A^pella moil key ( Cebus upella) 1 



Capuchin monkey iCabus capucinus) 3 



White tliroated sapiijou ( Cebus hypoleucus) 2 



Coaita {Ateles paniscus) 1 



Lion {Felisleo) 1 



Puma (FeliK concolor] 1 



Ocelot {FelLS pnrdalW) 2 



American wildcat iLynx rufus tnaculatiis) ] 



Ferret (Pitfo rius furo) 9 



Common slrunk C-^ej^hitis mephiUca) 1 



American badger (Taxidea americana) 5 



Kinka.jou (C'ercoleptes caudivolvulus) 1 



Red coatijimridi CNnsua rufa) 1 



Gray coatimundi iNasua naric(i> 1 



Cacomistle (Busxiirls a si n'tn) , 1 



Raccoon (/■ i 9 



Black bear {/ jiksJ 5 



Cinnamon bear (/ , i///,s') '. 4 



Grizzly bear (T i 1 



Polar Ijeai- ( r; . .. . "". 3 



Grayfox- (I <Mt,si. 4 



Swift I'ox .1 1, G 



Red fox II I ' . 7 



lis) a 



'.'0 2 



ittiUS) 



Coyote. 



Black wolf , I ( . 



Russian wolfhounds (C\ 



European hedgeliog (E, 



Asiatic elephant '(E, 



Collared peccary (incjin'irs :<jiara) 5 



Angora goat (Capm hircus angorensis) 2 



American bison (Bison americanus) 



Zebu (Bos iiuUcMs) 2 



American elk CCerviis catmdensis) , 8 



Virginia deer QCariaciis vi'rginianv.sj 



Mule deer (Cnriocus macrotis) 3 



. Agouti {DnsiifrovKi oQuti) -1 



Acouchy ( v, onclui) 3 



Paca . I ( / ) 2 



Capybara ( // ^:aijtibara)'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.\'.\\\'. 1 



American beaver (Cusim ni.muiritxi'ii) 3 



Musk-rat (Fiber ztbethicus) ".. 5 



Paririe dog {CyrLomys ludovicianus) 100 



Gray squii-rel (Sciurus Cttrolinensis} 3 



Albino squirrel (Sciurm carolinensis) 1 



Bedsquirrel (Sciurns /mdsoniws) 1 



Chipmunk (rnmrns striatus) 2 



Striped gopher (Spermophilus tridecimlineatus) 33 



Flying squirrel (Scturapteras volucella) 1 



■VVoodchuck (Arctomys monax} 2 



American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatusj 2 



European porcupine (Bysfrix cristatcO , '.V. 4 



White rabbit (Lei^us cuniculns) 20 



Opossum (Didelpliys virgin ianus) 4 



BIRDS. 



Golden eagle (Aquila chi-ysaetos) 1 



Bald eagle (Halireetus leucocephahis) 1 



Sparrow hawk (Falco sparveri/us') 1 



Red-tailed liawk (Bateo borealis) 3 



Marsh hawk (Circus h ((rf.so)i/tts) 1 



Snowy owl, ,. (Si/ciea nii^ea ) 1 



Great Jaoraed owl. (BuJio rnr/in ianns)..,,. C> 



Barred ow-1 iSyrniuni nebulosum) 1 



Yellow and blue macaw, .... (Ara ararauned) 1 



Red and blue macaw (Ara chloroptera) 2 



Red, yellow and blue macaw. (JLj-a j?iocao) 1 



Svilphur-crested cockatoo . . . (Cacatua galerita^ 1 



Green parrot (CJu-ysotis sp.) 6 



Mockingbii'd (Mivitts polygloltos) 2 



Common crow (Cormis a'lnericanus} 7 



American magpie (Pica pica hudsonica) 2 



Clarke's nutcrackci' (Picicorvus cohimbianus) 3 



Ghachalaea (Ortalis vetula maccaUi) 1 



Curassow (Crax alector') 5 



Peafowl (Pavo cristatus'j 10 



Bob white (Colinus mrginiamis) 1 



California quail (Callipepla calif ornica) 1 



Cariama (Cariama cristata:) 1 



Sandhill crane (Orus canadensis) 2 



Black-crowned night h.e:rQn. .(Nycticorax noivius) 1 



Scai-let ibis (Oiiara rubra) 1 



Canada goose (Branta canadensis) 4 



Swan , (Cygnus gibbus) 4 



Herring guO (^Larus argentattis) 1 



REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS, 



Alhgator (Alligator mississippiensis) 12 



Snapping turtle (Ohelydra serpentina:) 2 



Mud turtle (Chrysemys sp.) 3 



"GUa monster" (Heloderma suspectum) 1 



'■Chuck moUy" (Sauronutlus ater) 3 



Horned toad (Phrynosoma douglassii) 3 



Tiger rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) 1 



Diamond rattlesnake (Crotahis adaniante'us) 3 



Confluent rattlesnake (Crotalus conftuentis) 1 



Ground rattlesnake (Caudisona, m lliaris) 1 



Water moccasin (Ancistrodon piscivorxis) 1 



Copperhead (Ancistrodon contortHx) 1 



Boa (Boa constrictor) 2 



Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) 1 



King snake (Ophibolus getulus) 2 



Pine snake (Pityophis sayi ) 1 



Black snake (Bascanion constrictor) 2 



Garter snake (Eutcenia sirtalis) 8 



Wat€r snake (Tropidonotus sipedon) 10 



Hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platyrhinus) 4 



South American frogs and toads , 14 



Antelopes* Horns. 



Can any of the readers of Forest and Stream teU me 

 if the antelope doe sheds its horns, and at what time of 

 the year? Also, has any one any buck antelope over four 

 years old in captivity, and at what time do they shed off 

 the old horns? A Subscriber. 



[The old buck antelopes shed their horns in the late 

 fall or early winter. We have had the horn come off in 

 our hand as we took hold of the head to cut a buck's 

 throat. We should Uke to have an answer to the question 

 about the horned does.] 



I^wf^ ^nd 



''Game Laws in Brief," United States and Canada, 

 illustrated, 25 cents. "Book of the Game Laws" {full 

 text), 50 cents. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



[From a Staff Coi-respondent.] 



Chicago, IU., March 4.— air, C. E. Willard, representar 

 five of the Colts gun, is back from an extended trip 

 through the South. In this it was his intention to mix a 

 little pleasure with his business, but as usual his business 

 had a bit the best of it. I have told how Mr. AVillard 

 weakened before the dangers of the raging deep, and so 

 failed to meet me at Stephenson's, across Galveston Bay.' 

 He tells me that at Houston he got an afternoon out after 

 snipe and bagged 113. Near San Antonio he had a Httle 

 quail shooting, and out of Montgomery he took a little 

 dove lumt, in wliich he killed 363 during the day. These 

 figm-es will seem large to the Northern sliooter, but the 

 Northern shooter knows next to nothing about reaUy good 

 shooting, if he stays in the North. 



I imagine that Mr. WiUard will kick himself swiftly and 

 impulsively, sharing an emotion which I certainly feel 

 myself on reading the following letter from BiUy Griggs, 

 with whom I was shooting at Stephenson's. I have alread.y 

 explained that during my stay we had no canvasback 

 shooting, the weather being unsuitable. When I left the 

 boys besought me to wait a few days longer, as the 

 weather was on the pomt of change, and as a good day 

 meant a sight such as I had never seen before among the 

 wildfowl. Business, the relentless and heartless god which 

 rules us and makes us miserable, took me away, the most 

 unwfiling slave that ever turned away from AA^hat he knew 

 was a good thing. This letter from Billy, who has now 

 finished his winter's shooting, and come back to his home 

 in Browning, on the Illinois River, will show how good 

 the thing in question was. It was the chance o^ a lifetime. 

 The letter follows: 



Browmng, 111., March 2.— Friend Hough: A few lines to you. I 

 was sorry you didn't stay a few days longer with me. The day after 

 you left Dick Barrow went in his box at the middle of the lake, and 

 we had to follow him, of course. We took over 400 decoys and put 

 around our boat. It was foggj' as when you left until about 9 and no 

 wind, so John and I t-ook the box. lulled sixty-seven that day. The 

 next day it was still foggy and Bud went in with me. I wish you had 

 been with us. We took the boat at 7 and at lO we had 160 canvas on 

 the water. The live birds decoyed to the dead ones and we had to 

 stop and let John pick them up. We killed in all that day 195, and 

 killed that week 567, aU canvas. Our box is 6ft. long and 2ft. wide, so 

 you see we had a little room to rent, and we spoke of you all day at 

 times. Well, did you get any good pictures? If so, I woiUd like to 

 have two or three of them. I ^ot two copies of the Forest aud 

 Stream. Send some more if there is any Texas in them. 



I was out again this afternoon and killed a mess of ducks. There 

 are a few here now. There is plenty of water here and we ought to 

 have lots of birds this spring. W. H. Grigos. 



^_^The above embodies one of the lost opportunities of my 



It may be noticed how reluctant Billy Griggs seems to 

 have been about going out into the open- water blind. 

 This simply shoAvs him to be Avhat I haA-e spoken of him 

 as being, a man singularly considerate of game, though 

 anxious as a market-hunter to kill as much as possible. 

 It was against the Avish of Griggs and his partners that 

 any box Avas put down in the open Avater. They kneAv 

 that the birds Avould be much less frightened if shot at 

 only from the shore bhnds. No shootuig was done at the 

 "puddle ducks" for fear of disturbing the canvas, and the 

 latter were not worked except on stormy days, and even 

 then only from the shore blinds. This was Avisdom. The 

 BarroAV outfit Avas not equal to such a pitch of thought. 

 Hence the open Avater day. This, I presume, closed their 

 season. 



Spring Shooting. 

 The more I learn of the game question aU over the 

 country, and the more I think over the facts which are pre- 

 sent'ed to view by a little research, the more o] ear it seems 



to me that spring shooting is something that ought not to 

 be done. The following letter on this point is from 

 Yorgey, keeper of' the Diana Club, on the great Horicon 

 Marsh, a market-hunter for years, and a life-long resident 

 of the territory of which he speaks. He says: 



Horicon, Wis., Feb. 28.— Have just read your article on "Spring 

 Shooting" and "Horicon Marsh," in Forest jiND Stream of Feli. 23", 

 and wish to say that although spring shooting was allowed by law and 

 that considerable of it w^as done on the edges of the marsh, the Diana 

 preserve was patroled and shootuig effectually stopped thereon. The 

 birds seemed to understand that the preserve was a safe place for 

 them, and it was covered by thousands of ducks that stayed here to 

 breed, tha,t would have been driven off the marsh entirely had shoot- 

 ing been allowed. Have known this marsh and hunted on it for 

 fif iieen years ond never saw more bii-ds on it the last of May than there 

 were there the last of last May. Any one that could have seen the 

 birds here last spring pairing off and settUng down for the breeding 

 season would never want to see spring shooting again. 



J. M. YoRGEY. 



GiA'e the birds a chance. Fair play is a jeAvel. Prize 

 fighters admit that. How about gentlemen? Who can 

 read a letter like that and not do a Mttle thinking? 



From All Over. 



One of the pleasantest thrags about ncAvspaper work is 

 the fact that one makes many friends — and enemies — all 

 over the country, with whom only chance may bring him 

 face to face, to be sure, but whom he comes to knoAv by 

 letter. Letters from these unknoAvn Avell-knoAvns come 

 from all over, and once in a Avhile one of the Avell-lmowns 

 comes in person. This week enter to me Mr. Albert 

 Bruning, of the Players' Club, New York, noAv here man- 

 aging a successful dr-amatic organization. After the first 

 few moments of prefiminary talk it Avas pleasure to re- 

 member ]\Ii-. Brmxing all at once as the gentleman who 

 went T^ass fishing out at San Antonio over a year ago, 

 who fell out of his boat in the swift little Santove Eiver, 

 and Avho AATrote and told Forest and Stream about it. 

 HoAv much nicer that than to meet a man to whose 

 father, for instance, your brother had sold a yard of 

 caKco in days gone by. Commerce is not fairly in it Avith 

 ncAvspaper work. As this newspaper work naturally goes 

 on in the house next door in the row to the dramatic 

 house, it may be known that this AveU-known and I had 

 a good talk together. The next man I meet avIU be from 

 Australia, a,nd that AA-e should knoAv each other AviU be 

 natiu-al. But of what paper in the world would these 

 things be true except Forest and Stream and its unique 

 and well-knit brotherhood. 



Mr. Ezra E. Howard, of Edgar, Neb., not long ago 

 wrote me inqmring as to some taxidermy, saying he had 

 some white goat heads. My inquiry as to the goats he 

 answers as folloAvs, and I think many big game h^^nter8 

 will read his letter with interest: 



"My reason for writing you was that I have had two 

 goat heads about spoiled by men who did not know any- 

 thing about the appearance of the animal. The mounts 

 are veritable scare-crows, and so I Avanted to avoid getting 

 the others set up by any but a good Avorkman. 



"I got my goats in the Coast Range about 150 miles 

 noi-thwest of Vancouver, B. C, AA-here I Avent with a party 

 tAvo years ago and again this last faU. That is a great 

 place for the goats, the only drawback being the ahnost 

 inaccessible character of the country, which is very abrupt 

 and mountainous. The timber and imderbrush is almost 

 impassable. We had to pack back into the mormtains 

 from five to eight miles, and cany proAdsions enough to 

 last seA^eral days, as it took one day to go in and one day 

 to come out; and this with a blanket apiece and our guns 

 and ammimition made a good load. 



"There are a good many bear in there, and also lots of 

 deer on the islands. Tavo years ago we got all the goats 

 we Avanted, and three bears with deer, etc. This season 

 Ave only killed a feAv goats for meat, as it Avas too early 

 for the pelts to be good enough to bring home, though we 

 saAv plenty of them and they Avere quite tame. 



"My brother found some goats a year ago ui the Mt. 

 Baker cotmtry in Washington, and brought out a fine head 

 or tAvo. He reported quite a number in that locality and 

 very easily approached. 



"The fishing is also good in aU that country for both 

 trout and salt-Avater fish. If at any time any of yoiu- 

 friends Avant to take a trip to that coimtry, or you Avant 

 to go yourself, let me know and I AviU give you aU the 

 pointers that I can, and avUI esteem it a privilege to do so, 

 as I look upon all Forest and Stream readers as belong- 

 ing to the brotherhood of true sportsmen and not to the 

 game butchers. Yours truly, Ezra E. Howard," 



Gumbo File and Creole Coffee. 



At Opelousas it became necessary to do something to 

 restore the Chief's waning appetite, which no longer was 

 equal to more than three meals a day. He was wasted 

 away until but a shadow of his former self. At times he 

 would sit for hours lost in thought. In the field he al- 

 ways yielded precedence to the man who Avould walk up 

 and take the shot over the point, and intimated that he 

 woiild prefer haAdug the buxl flushed in such manner that 

 it Avould fly over his Avay and give him a shot without 

 necessitating his walking up to the dog. At all the fences, 

 on the top of which we sometimes paused to rest a 

 moment, he eA'inced a serious disposition to sit and argue 

 on almost any question for almost any length of tune, 

 meantime letting the birds take care of themselves. In 

 short, he began to manifest a repose of manner which 

 out-Southernedthe most Southern Southerner as ever was, 

 and caused even our friends to the climate born to look 

 npon him with apprehension as one not long for this world. 

 Evidently something must be done to change the Chief's 

 idea of a bachelor's vacation, or the most serious results 

 might be expected. Fortimately he himseff one evening 

 furnished the solution of the problem. 



"Old man," said he, after a long period of meditation 

 in which I had watched him with some solicitude, "there's 

 something I have just finished thinking of. I have been 

 too th-ed to think of it all at once, but I began thinking of 

 this some time ago. What's the use of going on a vaca- 

 tion if you've got to think of anything all at once? Well, 

 you know I used to live here in Opelousas, a few years 

 ago — Avish I never 'd left it. Now, you see, when I was 

 doAvn here, there used to be a. nigger woman, just 'roimd 

 the corner here, name of MiUie, and she could make a cup 

 of coffee that'd make your hau- curl tight to your head. I 

 thought maybe you'd like to walk around there some 

 time." 



So long a speech wearied the Chief. He had a relapse 

 and lay down. 

 How far is it?" I asked. 

 "Oh-er-ah-h-h 'bout a block." 



?.'Do you think, pardner," I asted with trewbUog voice, 



