FOREST AND STREAM. iQQ 
iFs^. 18, 1905.] 
mg hecks distended, yet arched, and with beaks intet- 
ipping caress and "kiss" with a degree of happiness that 
rould turn many a lovesick Lothario green with envy. 
The birds love companionship, standing around when 
lie family are about. They are not nearly as pugnacious 
bird as the great blue heron, who quarrels at the ap- 
roach of anything and everybody. 
If the reader will look ahead a few months he mAy, in 
is imagination, see Billy and his mate moving about 
nth their long silken plumes reaching from the head to 
be ground, and as they watch over their nestlings with 
s much gentleness and care as the human parents, who 
hall say God will not call to account every plume hunter 
nd every woman who wears the aigrette — the very 
resence of which on the hat means not only destruction 
f the parent birds, but of starving nestlings. 
. Minnie Moore-Willson. 
KissiMEEi Fla. 
The Tule Elk. 
A New Species, 
A'TTEisr'l'iON has frequently been called in the columns 
t Forest and Stream to a small band of elk long known 
> have been living on the Button Willow ranch in the 
an Joaquin Valley in California. It will be remembered 
lat Messrs. Miller and Lux have for years had their 
Dwboys and range riders look after these elk and care- 
tlly protect them. Two or three years ago, through the 
iological Survey of the Department of Agriculture, the 
erd was presented to the United States Government by 
Tessrs. Miller and Lux. After much difficulty a small 
)propriation was obtained from Congress for the pur- 
Dse of making a park for these animals, and a site was 
:lected and fenced on Kaweah River in the Sequoia 
ational Park. Still more recently an effort was made 
! capture the elk for the purpose of removing them to 
lis park, and on November 12, 1904, a drive was made 
ir the purpose of corralling the animals. The drive was 
irefully planned, and many of the best riders of the 
an Joaquin Valley took part in it, but it was not a suc- 
;ss. The elk refused to be driven, broke through the 
ders, and escaped to the adjacent foothills of the 
emploa Mountains. During the chase the riders roped 
ght or ten of the elk, but most of these died. 
In the early days of California, elk abounded in the 
m Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, and particularly in 
id about the tule marshes along the Sacramento, San 
)aquin. Kings, Kern and other rivers, and Tulare, 
uenavista and Kern lakes. The early travelers found 
k abundant here, and it was then supposed that in 
lese regions the elk would long survive. The rapid 
;ttling up and the enormous development of California, 
bwever, have exterminated the elk over most of its 
irmer range, and the only survivors left alive were those 
1 the Button Willow. ranch. 
,Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Chief of the Biological Survey 
. the United States National Museum, has long believed 
lat these San Joaquin elk constituted a species different 
:om any other American elk. He knew that the other 
ammals of the hot San Joaquin Valley differ materially 
•om their relatives in the mountains, and he felt confi- 
;nt that the elk would not prove an exception to the 
lie. For fifteen years he has been trying to secure 
)ecimens, but without success. At the drive for the 
filer and Lux elk he v/as present, and the skins and 
culls of the animals which died were preserved and are 
3w in the collection of the Biological Survey in the 
nited States National Museum. 
On these specimens is based the newly described 
ervus nannodes, which is very different from the three 
)ecies of elk heretofore known to the United States— 
ervus canadensis of the Middle West and Rocky Moun- 
ins, C. roosevelti of the extreme northwest, and C. mer- 
ami of the southwest, Arizona, and so forth. A cpm- 
irison of the new form with these three shows that it is 
;ry different from any of them; far more so than they 
e from one another. It is much smaller, shorter legged, 
uch paler in color, and has more white on the ears._ A 
)mparison of the skulls shows that its closest relation- 
lips are with C. canadensis of the Rocky Mountains, 
ither than with other outlying forms. 
The new species is described by Dr. Merriam in the 
roceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 
The Fight to Save the Buffalo, 
The movement for the preservation of the last few 
mdred specimens of American buffalo, not long since 
e most numerous of the earth's big mammals, is 
pidly gaining ground. The deep regret of the Ameri- 
n people at the fact that their grandest native animal 
IS all but disappeared, finds expression in a hundred 
lys. Naturalists and true sportsmen are meeting both 
public and in private, not to discuss the advisability 
' the possibility of preserving the animal— those points 
Lve been decided once and for all by the best authorities 
the country— but to consider and formulate wise 
ans for its preservation. Naturalists who have never 
:tured or spoken in public before are raising their 
(ices in this cause; they know that if they have any- 
ing to say in the interest of the buffalo they must 
y it at once or it will be too late. And men, aye, and 
Dmen, too, who are not naturalists, but who are lovers 
things which live, are helping the movement by ex- 
essing to others their interest in it. Those who can 
rite well are writing strong letters and articles for 
iblication in the papers and magazines, and many 
hers of less ability are writing the best they can,_ and 
• reason of their great earnestness these are oft times 
lite as eloquent as those who have a more finished 
me. 
■The interest of scientific bodies is being aroused, and 
nost every day we hear of some sportsman's club or 
tural history society discussing the subject of the 
ffalo and passing resolutions expressing_ sympathy 
th the movement now on foot to save him. Some 
ve gone even further than this, and are even now 
ritating the question of organizing a national society, 
nose object shall be to arrange for the preservation 
the typical American mammal. The first step has 
in taken, the men and women who took it are in 
earnest, and it is safe to predict that before the buffalo 
has grown his heavy coat to protect him from next 
winters cold, his friends will have gathered around 
him in force, for the purpose of protecting him from 
the colder hand of the fate which now threatens his 
existence. And when these people have once organized, 
I believe that the preservation of the bison will no 
longer be onfe of the objects which "should" be accom- 
plished, but rather, one of those which "must be and 
shall be accomplished. 
In the meantime it is very desirable that those who 
are now, and who for months have been, working so 
hard for this cause should be assured of the co-opera- 
tion of all who have the interest of our native animals 
at heart. The success of the movement would be bene- 
ficial to the entire nation, and therefore it should have 
the support of the nation. That means the support of 
the readers of this article, just as much as that of the 
man in Cincinnati, or St. Louis. The preservation of 
the buffalo is probably dependent on governmental 
action in the matter, since in the hands of the Govern- 
ment alone will it be quite safe from those who are con- 
tinually offering big prices for heads and hides. In 
other words, the matter is in the hands of the people, 
and my reader is one of these. Every set of resolu- 
tions that is passed favoring the movement; every letter 
addressed to me at Meriden, New Hampshire, will help 
the cause of the buffalo, and will bring nearer to us the 
day when this great animal will be out of danger. In 
the entire United States there are now only 600 odd 
buffaloes, exclusive of those confined in public parks 
and gardens, and which cannot be counted on to assist 
in the perpetuation of the race. The majority of these are 
in three herds, the Corbin herd at Newport, N. H. ; the 
Pablo-Allard herds in Montana, and the James Philips 
herd in South Dakota. If tuberculosis or other con- 
tagious disease were to carry off any one of these herds, 
the fate of the race would probably be sealed, as even 
now there are none too many strains to allow for the 
necessary interchange of blood. This danger could be 
avoided at once if the Government divided these herds 
into smaller ones and provided for their maintenance on 
separate reservations. 
While speaking on this subject with an old plains- 
man the other day, he remarked: "Well, there is no 
other native animal toward which Americans should 
have so kindly a feeling as for the buffalo; it has done 
more toward the civilization of the country than all 
the rest put together. To the explorers and early set- 
tlers it was an unfailing supply of the best kind of food, 
and many a hundred times have thirsty travelers been 
more than grateful for the water which collected in the 
buffalo wallows. And who shall say how many thou- 
sands have enjoyed the luxury of a fire on the treeless 
plains of the West, when but for the constant supply of 
the buffalo chips, they would have been obliged to spend 
the days and nights damp, cold and miserable. Save 
the buffalo? Well, I should say they ought to, rather." 
; Ernest Harold Baynes. 
Prairie Wolves, 
The other day in a Montreal paper was a piece copied 
from a western journal saying how a man, while plow- 
ing, was attacked by two prairie wolves, and would have 
inevitably lost his life had not another man come to his 
rescue and beaten off the brutes. 
This may be all right for the general readers, but with 
a hunter it only causes him to smile and feel tired. I 
doubt very much if a whole pack of prairie wolves would 
attack a man, much less poor miserable two. They are 
not much larger than a large cur, and, like the jackal, 
keep at a respectful distance from man. The timber 
wolf, be it acknowledged, is a bold and ferocious animal ; . 
but even he will not attack man in fewer numbers than 
three or five, and then only when gaunt with starvation. 
Knowing the size and nature of the prairie wolf, I can- , 
not believe this western story. 
Many years ago I was followed down one of _ our rivers 
by two large timber wolves for forty-five miles, and al- 
though they were savage with starvation, they never 
came within gunshot distance. I camped ; two nights on 
the trail, as the snow was deep and the walking bad, 
yet during those long northern nights they never came 
very near my camp. This I read by their tracks each 
morning. I admit that having such "varmint" about did 
not conduce to the tranquility of my slumbers. I was 
young then and consequently a bit nervous; still I had 
grit enough not to turn back to the shanty. 
As soon as I would leave camp in the morning, the 
wolves, which had passed the night on the river ice, 
would at once ascend the bank and, I suppose, nose all ; 
about the fire-place for some stray scraps. Shortly after 
they would appear coming loping down my trail, and , 
slacken their speed when about long rifle range, and suit 
their pace to mine all the time I was on the tramp. 
During the second day's march, I pulled out of my 
pack an old worn-out moccasin and dropped it on the 
trail. When they reached this they both pounced on it ' 
at once and each tugged desperately for a share. From 
this they turned savagely at each other, and I stood on 
the ice and watched the fight. The weaker one soon had'-, 
enough, and followed the victor at a respectful distance 
for the remainder of the afternoon. When I finally' 
reached the post at the mouth of the river they were still 
the same distance behind my snowshoes. 
I told the men of my experience with the wolves, and 
a couple of hunters immediately got their guns and ' 
started up river to get a shot; but when the brutes saw 
the men coming, they left the ice and took to the barren 
grounds, and nightfall coming on the men were obliged 
to return without being successful in their hunt. 
However, next day, all hands at the post with the best 
guns, turned out for a proper rounding up. The trail 
of the wolves was soon found and followed! After an 
hour's sharp walk on the fresh and plain trail, the tracks 
led off toward , a clump of stunted poplar and alder 
bushes. In this grove, one of the men said, there was an 
old Indian tepee of the previous autumn, and most likely 
the wolves , had found some bones or offal to keep them , 
about. A plan of action was rapidly concocted. Two- 
thirds of the party were stationed a short gunshot apart, 
fan-like, along the brow of the surrounding hills, the 
others making V wide detour to approach the woods on 
the windward side. 
As the scent became hot to the hidden wolves, they 
broke cover and loped back in the direction from whence 
they came. However, before reaching the rise of the 
land a shot from the concealed hunters laid one of them 
low. The remaining wolf made back in all haste toward 
the sheltering woods, only to receive his quietus from the 
men who had by this time got through the thicket and 
had witnessed the fall of the first wolf and the oncoming 
of the second one. Thus ended the interior strangers. 
Gaunt does not convey an idea of the state of emaciation 
the brutes were found to be in. Their fur was mangy 
from insufficiency of food and the skins of little value. 
But the coast settlement was rid of the marauders, and 
that end was worth achieving. 
On my return journey to the shanty T met with no ad- 
venture, and as I had my old trail to travel on, made 
much better time, sleeping only one night instead of two. 
Being only a youth, I became quite a hero with the men, 
and several of them told me they would have turned back 
with such dangerous animals following their tracks. 
Martin Hunter. 
The Loon^s Flight, 
Regarding the flight of the loon, this bird will oc- 
casionally take wing to escape danger. When floating 
down the Lewis River (one of the forks of the Yukon) 
in the spring of 1896, on rounding a sharp bend, we 
came suddenly upon a loon that had been diving up 
stream. He came up so close to our boat and was so 
surprised at our sudden appearance that he took wing 
and afforded me an excellent opportunity to secure his 
breast for the crown of my next winter's cap. 
A species of loon is occasionally found in that country 
having light buff-colored bill and feet. These are very 
rare, and are highly prized by the Shamans (medicine 
men) who attribute to them mystic powers. 
About dogs burying bones. Two prospectors were 
on the upper waters of the Klondike River in the fall 
of 1897. They had with them a large dog, which had 
been brought in from the States, probably part New- 
foundland. Having killed a moose, they buried the 
greater portion of the meat under the snow for use on 
their return. After the meat was covered, the snow 
was left in a rough condition, plainly showing that it 
had been recently disturbed. This did not suit the dog, 
who smoothed the surface with his nose until nearly 
all evidence of recent disturbance had been removed. 
The Indians of Alaska interbreed their dogs with the 
wild wolves, and the resulting strain so closely re- 
sembles the wild animal that experienced travelers in 
that country will not shoot at a woolf if anywhere near 
a settlement or a trail for fear of killing a dog. Dogs 
in that country were worth from $50 to $300 each, and 
a, mistake would be likely to prove costly. 
Edward F. Ball. 
[The yellow-billed loon is Urinator adamsii.] 
Buffalo, N. Y., Feb. 6.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
While camping on Lake Sallie in Minnesota abont fifteen 
years ago I had an experience with a loon which is re- 
called by W. A. Linkletter's recent letter to Forest and 
Stream. 
Within a short distance of Sallie is a small lake, and 
one morning, seeing a loon on it, I went back to camp 
for one of the boys and my Winchester. My companion 
walked around to the other side of the lake, and I 
stayed where I was. Our object was to see how much 
lead he would stand before flying. For about ten min- 
utes we kept him under water almost continuously, when 
he took wing and started off in a straight line for the 
other lake. I took a shot at him on the wing, and he 
folded his wings and went back into the lake head first. 
When he came up we gave him another chance to dodge 
our bullets. He then flew away , in the direction of 
Sallie for good. 
I did not notice that the bird circled at all in this case, 
but flew away in a straight line. This was on a calm, 
misty morning, and the loon did not have the assistance 
of the wind in getting started. Dixmont. 
A Skunk and Seventeen Hens* 
Shasta, California.— A few nights ago a skunk got 
into my hen house and killed seventeen hens. They were 
chiefly young pullets that huddled together on the floor 
instead of going to roost. The skunk merely bit their 
heads, leaving them all dead in a heap except one that 
the animal evidently tried to drag tbrcugh the hole 
where it had entered. The next evening at dusk the 
skunk came back, and I fired both barrels of a shotgun 
at him from a distance of six feet. Apparently, owing to 
my anticipation of recoil from the gun, which I had to 
hold in a cramped position — or a recoil from the animal, 
which I hoped to put into a cramped condition — I never 
touched him. Couldn't find a hair. I must have insulted 
him, though, for he hasn't been here since. 
Here is an instance of an animal killing seventeen fowls 
weighing in all about thirty-five pounds — every bird that 
was on the floor of the house. How many more might 
it have killed had they been within reach? Truly the 
ways of nature are not all admirable. How do skunks 
and snakes .affect the game supply? Ransacker. 
A Latge Fttngws. 
LocKPORT, N. Y., Jan. 31.— While spending the past 
season . in Theresa, I saw in the window of a local drug- 
store the largest "puff-ball" that I had ever seen or heard 
of. It was oblong in shape, measuring 17 inches long 
and 14 inches broad, and weighing io>4 pounds. Is not 
this an unusually large size? The measurement was not 
taken until three or four days after it had been lying in 
the window, and had shrunken perceptibly. A tape 
measurement showed 3 feet 11 inches around the longest 
Way, and 3 feet 4 inches in circumference. 
J. L. Davison. 
AH communications intended for Forest and Stream should 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., 
New York, and not to any individual connected with the paper. 
