April io, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
573 
A Big'Game Measurement Book. 
More than two years ago James H. Kidder, 
then of Boston, Mass., compiled a pocket volume 
for the use of American big game hunters which 
volume was subsequently published by the Boone 
and Crockett Club. It contains a uniform 
standard of measurements of the big game of 
North America, and is illustrated by cuts which 
set forth very clearly the methods by which 
the measurements are to be made. 
All big game hunters who secure heads which, 
for size or for any other reason, are specially 
interesting, wish to keep a record of their meas¬ 
urements, but from the lack of any recognized 
standard, each man is likely to take these meas¬ 
urements in his own way, and thus there are 
nearly as many methods as there are big game 
hunters. A standard which shall be adopted 
by all big game hunters is, therefore, greatly to 
be desired. This measurement book, prepared 
Exploration of Kamchatka. 
There is an awakening interest in the Kam¬ 
chatka Peninsula, the mainland of Asia north 
of the Japanese islands. Its 7.500 inhabitants 
live by hunting and fishing, though small quan¬ 
tities of barley and rye are raised. The capital 
is Petropavlovsk, on the east coast, and the ex¬ 
ports comprise sable, fox and other skins, whale 
oil, fish and eggs. The trade is chiefly with 
Okhotsk. The following report concerning the 
exploration of Kamchatka has been received by 
the Bureau of Commerce and Labor from Con¬ 
sul James W. Ragsdale at St. Petersburg: 
The expedition of Th. P. Riabooshinski (zoo¬ 
logical, botanical and geological) sent out by 
the Geographical Society to prospect Kamchatka 
arrived at Vladivostok on May 10 last, and two 
weeks later the party proceeded on steamers of 
the Voluntary Fleet. The whole summer zoo¬ 
logical party prospected the Kamchatka River 
Weight of Musk Ox. 
A CORRESPONDENT asks US for information as 
to the weight of an average size adult male 
musk ox. 
Definite information on this point is not very 
abundant. Planbury says that a certain full 
grown musk ox weighed 579 pounds. Gen. 
Greeley gives the average weight of ten musk 
ox dressed as 360 pounds, and speaks of one 
that ran over 400 pounds. Richardson in his 
“Fauna Boreali-Americana’’ compares the musk 
ox to the smaller breeds of domestic Scotch 
Highland cattle. In another place he says that 
the only horse that the musk ox could be com¬ 
pared with in size is the Shetland pony. He 
states that the animal weighs about 300 pounds 
exclusive of offal; meaning, we take it, with 
the entrails removed, but not dressed as a beef 
is dressed. This would mean a live weight of 
considerably oyer 500 pounds. If Gen. Greeley’s 
Ice and Logs Going Out. 
SPRING SCENES IN THE ADIROND.'\CKS. • 
Fighting a Spring Fire. 
The Opening Brook. 
by one of the most successful of American hun¬ 
ters and approved by the Boone and Crockett 
Club, ought to be a part of the outfit of every 
big game hunter. 
In order that all measurements may be defi¬ 
nite, they should be taken with a steel tape or 
with a doth tape which has first been verified 
by comparison with one of steel. 
While, in the case of horned game, most hun¬ 
ters consider chiefly the heads which they se¬ 
cure, other measurements should of course be 
taken; and these are essential when there is 
question of any one of the carnivorous mam¬ 
mals. Detailed instructions for taking such 
measurements are given in the book, and the 
instructions are made clear by diagrams. For 
different animals, horns must be measured dif¬ 
ferently, but diagrams in the bpok show not 
only all the details of measurement for different 
horned animals, but the precise lines which the 
tape should follow for each measurement. The 
book contains fifty pages with blanks for lo¬ 
cality, date, kind of animal killed and lines on 
which are printed the various body measure¬ 
ments and blanks for the feet or inches. Op¬ 
posite each page is a blank page for remarks. 
The volume should be part of the equipment 
of every big game hunter, and if each hunter 
had one of these books, measured his game 
according to its directions, and reported on what 
he killed, a large amount of useful information 
would soon be accumulated. 
The volume, which is advertised in another 
column, costs $1.50. 
and its environs. The estuary of the river was 
studied, ornithological collections gathered, and 
the Nerpich Lake prospected, which until now 
has never been visited by naturalists. It proved 
to be larger than shown on maps; it is 45 versts 
(verst = about three-fifths of a mile) long, 20 
versts wide and its waters are sweet. The study 
of fishes disclosed large amounts of salmon. On 
three meteorological stations the study of tem¬ 
perature of the ground is carried on at a depth 
of three meters (meter — 3.28 feet) and it is in¬ 
tended further to sink shafts to a depth of 20 
to 25 meters. The expedition had great diffi¬ 
culty in supplying means of transport, which 
were expensive, as well as labor, owing to the 
recent rise in prices for sable furs, in which 
trade the population is engaged. Further infor¬ 
mation on this expedition can only be expected 
in summer, as mail does not run regularly in 
winter. 
Our Dumb Animals. 
The April number of Our Dumb Animals is 
given over to regrets over the death of Geo. T. 
Angel!, the greater part of whose life was de¬ 
voted to humanitarian work among domestic 
animals. An examination of this number gives 
the reader much information about this good 
man and the excellent work he did so well. 
Among the tributes is one showing great feel¬ 
ing from the pen of Judge R. J. Wilkin, of 
Brooklyn. 
musk oxen were dressed as a beef is dressed 
the weight of 360 pounds to a dressed animal 
would give a live weight of about 600 pounds, 
depending more or less on the condition of the 
beast when it was weighed. We should suppose 
that the average would be not far from this. 
Recent Publications. 
Animal Life, by F. W. Gamble, D. Sc., F.R.S. 
Cloth, ,305 pages, 63 illustrations. New 
York, E. P. Dutton & Co. 
This is a broad and somewhat general treat¬ 
ment of the subject indicated by the title, and 
is intended for the guidance of students of ani¬ 
mal life. To this end the author cites numer¬ 
ous references for the benefit of those who wish 
to carry their studies still further. There are 
chapters on The Organization of Animal Life; 
Movement; the Quest for Food; the Breath of 
Life; the Senses and the Colors of Animals; 
the Welfare of the Race; and the Life His¬ 
tories of Insects. 
Books Received : “Stalks Abroad,’’ by H. F. 
Wallace; New York, Longmans, Green & Co. 
“Shooting in China,’’ by T. R. Jernigan; Shang¬ 
hai, the Methodist Publishing Company. “Fish 
Stories,’’ by Charles Frederick Holder and 
David Starr Jordan; New York, Henry Holt & 
Company. “Wild Life on the Rockies,” by 
Enos A. Mills; Boston, Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 
“Stickeen: the Story of a Dog,” by John Muir; 
Boston, Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 
