)CT. 31, 1903.1 
ri illation left in me to berate my pride for using hem- 
• instead of spruce— Morpheus has settled the ques- 
I on the spot, by bringing peace and quiet and re- 
lung sleep. 
hey do things differently in different parts of the 
titry, and I do not think Mr. Brown fully considered 
■ fact or he would not have written so critically 
Jhe. has done. 
tipling certainly is an observer, and I think in this 
c certainly has writ as he saw and heard. 
\ here his Red Gods come in I am at somewhat of a 
b to say; but poets are entitled to license, and on this 
jre I am perfectly willing to bow my head to the Red 
ids, be what they may, considering that he has hit the 
Iseye fairly and squarely as to other things. 
Charles Cristadoro. 
pok Out for a Long Cold Winter. 
HOSE of our esteemed veterans and pioneers of the 
"Iverine State, especially those who are indigenous to 
marsh covmtry along the west shores of Lake Eric, 
a are not dodging the wet spells and stray shot froni 
Irless duck huntei'S, are devoting the later October 
to a conservative forecast of the future with refer- 
c to quality and quantity of weather which is in store 
those who are to be out of doors from now on until 
iiig, or have the wherewith to meet the coal dealer 
li a bold front and a full wallet and stay inside. There 
as usual, some diversity of opinion on the subject, de- 
ifling much upon the kind of "signs" that are utilized 
the purpose. So far as my close observation goes, the 
|its on the sun cut no figure at all with the genuine old 
ure-guided weather prophet, if, indeed, he is aware 
t there are any spots on that blazing old swirler, 
lat he banks on principallj' is the musquash, and his 
parations in the fall; the crop of nuls and acorns, 
1 the activity of the 'coon and squirrel in gathering the 
le for future reference. My acquaintance with this 
-s of forecasters leads me to the conclusion that as 
round reliable prognosticators they can give the Gov- 
iment paid officials all kinds of odds and win out with 
li hands tied behind them. There is my old friend 
vier Francis Mouchoir, who resides in the fastnesses 
lie "ma'sh," for instance; he knozvs — and it is like fly- 
11 the face of fate to go contrary to what he says in 
aid to weather. He has lived in the locality thus 
initely alluded to so long that he knows every musk- 
■jy sight, and is on speaking terms with all the other 
mals whose acquaintance is of any account whatever, 
bether Xavier has, as has been surmised, any means of 
nmunicating with these families more intimate than 
)Se of mere casual intercourse, and learns from them 
xets and information perfectly authentic in regard to 
! seasons and atmospheric plienoinena generally, I am 
this time unable to state; in fact, I dislike to betray 
nfidences reposed in me by trusting friends. Let that 
itter pass for the present. What we want to know just 
\v is, are we, or are we not, likely to be thrown head- 
ig into the devouring maws of the anthracite, bitu- 
nous and other forms of "omnivorous coal barons for a 
iger and more disastrous period than heretofore, and 
ivier is the man who can tell us, and does. 
'Wall, seh, I was goin' tol' you someting, mah fren'. 
'en you was saw fiel' corn inside of it, dat tick, heavy 
sk — tick, tick, lak bundle straw, you mus' mak' plenty 
irm places for you' cattle, and plenty wood for you' 
e-placc, dat tam we goin' see planty col' winter — planty 
ow. It was dat kan o' corn husk we see dis year; also 
en you was see beeg, beeg piles hack'ry nut an' hacorn 
de wood, an' many, many leetle squirrel ketch 'era- up 
' hide 'em een dare nes', den yon look out ; dat was w'at 
see dis year. Also, mah fren', w'en you was see dat 
orn apple full, full dare blossom', and full, full o' dare 
pie, too, you mus' not t'ink we goin' have hopen win- 
re; ef you do, you goin' git lef, sure. Also w'en you 
IS look an' see muskrat male' hees house beeg, beeg 
' tick, den you want bank up 3'ou' house, house, and 
il<' planty split wood for hoi' woman to make fire, 
all, mah fren', we was_ goin' see hall dese t'ings dis 
ar, hevry one. You wait — you see." 
That's enough for me. I'm buying my winter fuel 
jht now. I have known Xavier Francis for fortj'-seven 
entful and prosperous years, and lie has hit the bullseye 
ery time. So when I get to the month of September 
October and I detach those months from my beautiful 
inchester calendar, I am looking around for Xavier. 
It has happened once or twice that, owing either to 
me miscalculation on the part of the muskrats and of 
e geese in their flight, that they have been pinched, 
St as we have seen robins in the spring look very sorry 
at they came, and appear to be in doubt whether they 
3uld go back or stick it out, but this is not the fault 
Xavier. This year he says so emphatically that we 
e going to have old Boreas with us early and late, and 
. sorts of things doing that I feel it my duty to utter 
warning to lazy, shiftless farmers and the ten-cent 
staurants to look a leetle oudt al^eadJ^ 
Frank Heywood. 
When off duty. Prof. Richards, of Yale, enjoys a joke, 
id his pupils often come to him when they have heard 
tiew one. He adds to the fun sometimes with a witti- 
sm of his own. Such was the case when one of the 
udents perpetrated the following antiquity: "Profes- 
jr, wouldn't you like a good receipt for catching rab- 
ts" "Why yes," replied the professor. "What is it?" 
A^ell, you crouch down behind a thick stone wall and 
ake a noise like a turnip," answered the youth, gig- 
ing in ecstasy. Quick as a flash came the reply: "Oh, 
iDetter way than that would be for you to go and sit 
lietly in a bed of cabbage heads and look natural," — 
[iTingfield Republican. 
A Westerner was strolling about Battery Park, Man- 
attan, when he espied the Aquarium. 
"What is that building?" he inquired of a newsboy, 
"Cat's de fish t'eater," was the reply,— Ex. 
All communications for Forest and Stream must 
e directed to Forest and Stream Pub. Co., New 
'ork, to receive attention. We have no other office. 
FOnESf AK£) STREAM. 
— ♦ — 
Zoological Society's New Animals. 
The Hamburg-American liner Pretoria, which reached 
port the other day, brought to this country for the New 
York Zoological Society one of the most valuable con- 
signments of animals the Society has ever imported. It 
comprises, in fact, almost the entire collection planned 
for the new antelope house in the Zoological Park. The 
new arrivals found comfortable quarters immediately 
upon thir arrival in the now almost completed antelope 
house, which will be formally thrown open to the public 
cn November 10. 
The collection comprises more than twenty-five speci- 
mens from Africa, Asia and South America, and includes 
two giraffes, many rare antelopes and a complete collec- 
tion of the canieloid animals of South America— llamas, 
alpacas, vicunas and guaiiacos. More than $14,000 was 
expended in getting the African and Asiatic specimens in 
the collection. They were brought together by Karl 
Hageiibeck, who declares the collection to be the equal of 
any other in the world. The South American animals 
were given by Robert S. Brewster, of this city. These 
animals are now quartered in a special building erect^-d 
lor them on a wooded knoll near the southwest entrance 
of the park. 
According to Director Hornaday, the most important 
animals in the lot, both as to appearance and value, are 
the giraffes. They are splendid specimens, the female 
ten feet and the male eleven feet high, finely mottled and 
sleek. They were taken in German East Africa. They 
are installed in a special room in the antelope house, 
twenty feet high, twenty-three feet long and nineteen feet 
wide. 
"The giraffe," said Mr. Hornaday, "is one of the most 
delicate of animals, and one of the hardest to keep in 
captivity. Every effort will be made in the way of fur- 
nishing adaptable quarters and giving the greatest care 
to keep the two new arrivals trim and fit for exhibition. 
There are now only about twenty-five giraffes in the 
various zoological gardens in the world, and while not 
as scarce as the big rhinoceros, they are rapidly becoming 
depleted in number. The only other giraffes that I know 
of at present on this side of the ocean is the one owned 
by the Barnum, Bailey & Co. Circus and the two owned 
by the Ringling Bros.' Circus. A local New York dealer 
has two in liis possession just now, and these, I under- 
stand, will soon be acquired by the aforementioned 
circuses. 
"The manner in which the giraffes are caught is by 
huntsmen, mounted on fleet-footed horses that can out- 
pace the younger giraffes, the lasso being the means of 
their capture. Full grown giraffes are rarely caught. 
The young giraffes when captured average from one to 
three months old, and from five to six feet high. When 
full grown they command from twenty-five hundred to 
five thousand dollars each. Our two new giraffes are 
about two and a half years old, and with good luck and 
good management they may be on exhibition at the park 
for the next twenty-five or thirty years, which is the 
giraffe's normal length of life. 
"When caught the giraffes are, as a rule, shipped direct 
to London or Antwerp, where they have frequently been 
bred in captivity. If fortune favors us, it may be that we 
will have a third specimen in our collection before the 
year rolls round." 
The two new girafifes arrived at the park in splendid 
condition, and without any mishap, and are remarkably 
fine specimens. They are sorrel in color, and mottled 
with dark chestnut spots. They appear to have taken 
kindly to their surroundings, and give every indication 
that they will continue to thrive. Keeper Forester says 
that they arc daily fed with a bucket apiece of warm 
milk, the finest clover hay, and all sorts of vegetables 
chopped up and mixed in bran. By spreading their fore- 
legs the lanky animals manage, when necessary, to eat 
from the ground, but their food is usually placed for 
them in a manger on a level with their heads. While 
several attempts of a more or less unsuccessful nature 
have been made in Europe to break captive giraffes to 
harness, no such an attempt will be made with the new 
animals at the Zoological Park. Keeper Forester de- 
clares that the giraffes are about the most stupid animals 
of any sort that he has ever taken care of, requiring 
almost constant attention to see that they do not injure 
themselves. They bump their long necks and fragile legs 
about in the most alarming manner, he says, and scarcely 
appear to know enough to get out of their own way. 
They appear to be verj' tame, however, freely feeding out 
of any visitor's hand. 
Of the antelopes an eland bull from Central East 
Africa, and weighing over 2,000 pounds, stands in a class 
by himself. The eland is the largest of all antelopes, 
and this particular bull is one of the largest of his kind. 
When in condition, and he has forgotten the terrors of 
his ocean trip, it is expected that he will tip the beam at 
3,000 pounds. Mr. Hornaday says that these mammoth 
antelopes, once abundant in Africa, are now very rare. 
The present specimen is said to be the only one that has 
been sold by anybody in the last four years. It was 
secured by Carl Hagenbeck from the collection of the 
Duke of Bedford, who enjoys the distinction of owning 
about a dozen of these rare animals. 
The newly arrived big eland is in color very much like 
an Alderney cow, having almost straight horns about 
two feet in length. The forehead is covered Avith a mass 
of fluffy brown hair tapering off in color toward the nose 
to deep black, which gives the animal a most striking 
appearance. 
Then there is a pair of gnu, with white whiskers, 
zoologically and more politely known as white bearded 
gnu. Also there are two white-tailed gnu. They repre- 
sent a species of African antelope now almost extinct. 
The white-tailed gnu frequent the Boer country along 
the Orange River. In appearance they strongly resemble 
a horned horse, by which name they were some years 
ago commonly called. About three feet and a half high, 
their hindquarters and trim, delicate legs strongly resem- 
hie those of a thoroughbred horse, ftising above thd 
hogged mane the horns sweep out straight from th^ 
head and then Curl in again. Keeper Forester says that 
they are very wild and that no one cares fo venture intd 
fheir so-called cage for fear of bodily injury. Thfe gnus 
are being rapidly- killed off by the Boftrs,- who say that 
they mingle with their cattle on the range's and frequently 
injure them with their sharp, murderous-looking horns. 
The blesbok, meaning blazed antelope, which is repre- 
sented ni the new collection by one adult specimen, is an- 
other kind of antelope which cannot find any of its kind for 
company without looking over large parts of Africa. In 
color the blesbok is a bright bay shading to darker about 
the sides, with face and legs blazed with white. There is 
a beatrix antelope from Arabia, and an addax, which, 
before it was caught, spent its young life in cavorting 
around on the burning sands of the Sahara. Both of 
thcse are as beautiful as they are rare. The body of the 
beatrix antelope is pure while, shading off to brown about 
the legs^, and with long horns curled slightly back. 
The Zoological Park now has on exhibition a herd of 
sixteen American elk, one Roosevelt deer, two altai 
wapiti, and three Sanibar deer. - What, with ihe new con- 
signment of animals, the collection is one that will surely 
be of great interest to the public. 
Animals of Pennsylvania and 
New J. rsey. 
(Concluded from page 2IG.) 
To THE general account of the elk in Pennsylvania, 
Mr. Rhoads adds a more detailed consideration in which 
he takes up different sections of the State and for north- 
western Pennsylvania the different counties. From this 
it appears that in many of the northwestern counties elk 
were common enough during the decade between 1830 
and 1840; that in Elk county an elk was killed by a man 
named Gaylord in 1862; in Potter county one is re- 
ported to have been killed in 1862 or 1S63. In New 
Jersey there seems to be no modern record at all, though 
the old histories refer to elks as existing in various 
points, and their remains are not uncommon. 
The buflfalo, as shown by Dr. Allen, were found in 
western Pennsylvania, but it was long ago. 'Jlieir re- 
mauis, together with those of closely similar species, have 
been found in many localities. 
The beaver has been reintroduced in Pennsylvania 
though the source of the supply is unknown, except tlpt 
a number of years ago some beaver escaped from the 
preserve of Mr. Rutherford Stuyvesant's game preserve at 
Allamuchy. It had long been extinct. However, there is 
a considerable colony on the farm of Judge Edinger, 
near Stroudsburg, in Monroe county. Pa. Here they 
have built dams and established themselves, and for- 
tunately Judge Edinger is greatly interested in them, 
and will protect them so long as they are on his property. 
In New Jersey, as first shown in an article published in 
the Forest and Stream in August, 1900, beaver have 
established themselves. This fact was first made public 
by Mr. J. Von Lengerke, who states that there are a 
number of localities where the beaver may be found, 
especially in Sussex county. With protection, there is no 
reason why in both these States the beaver should not 
do well. The damage which it does along the streams is 
trifling. 
Of the southeastern muskrat Mr. Rhoads says: "This 
animal is rightly regarded as a nuisance by those who 
have the care or ownership of artificial water embank- 
ments, because of its persistent burrowing. Owing to 
its aquatic habits, wariness and prolific breeding, it defies 
extermination in the most populous regions. Were it 
not for the value of its fur and meat, which latter is 
largely consumed by those who trap it, and by the 
negroes and Italians, it would speedily become a pest in 
some districts. Some of the canal companies of Pennsyl- 
vania and New Jersey give a bounty on the scalps of 
muskrats taken on their property, besides employing 
regular trappers to hunt them the year around. In some 
of the large reclaimed tide marshes of Salem and Cum- 
berland counties, N. J., the trapping of these animals for 
fur is so profitable that the larger owners of these dyked 
lands lease the privilege of trapping upon them for con- 
siderable sums of money yearly. An examination of the 
reports of fur dealers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey 
shows that muskrat furs number five times as many as 
all other kinds of fur put together, with an aggregate 
value of about double that of all the others. The food 
of the muskrat is rarely secured at the expense of man, 
being confined largely to aquatic vegetation of little use 
in agriculture. I have known one in severe winter 
weather to travel overland through deep snow to a corn 
crfb after grain. They damage some grain and 
vegetables, but the aggregate amount is trifling. They 
have been accused of killing fish, and have a habit of 
gathering mussels from the mud and piling them upon 
the logs and rocks to die. The shell thus opens and the 
contents are devoured by some animal, presumably the 
rat, though I have never seen them do it. No doubt 
minks, 'coons, and foxes, etc., participate in those feasts. 
The muskrat, like the beaver, has two distinct classes of 
homes, the earth burrow and the house or lodge in either 
of which they live, but only rear their young in the 
former. Along swiftly flowing streams or lakes without 
extensive marshy tracts the first kind of home is alone 
practicable, but in tide-water and in open swampy areas 
which are always submerged and inaccessible except by 
wading or boat, the rats pile up heaps of grass, leaves, 
mud and sticks to the height of two or three feet and 
si.K feet in diameter, making an oven-shaped chamber 
near the top, and entering it from below by two or three 
waterways leading to the distant bed of the stream. This 
home generally overtops the highest tide and flood, and 
is often so bulky as to fill a cart. 
Among the mountains of Pennsylvania the panther was 
formerly not rare, but thirty or forty years ago it had be- 
come scarce, and perhaps the last one killed was in Clear- 
field and Suffolk counties in December, 1871. This ani- 
mal was treed by a bulldog, and on the day following a 
second was tracked to a swamp near Big Run. When 
the bulldog was put on the track it drove the panther 
