650 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Oct. 22, 1910. 
The Indian could return with our horses and 
bring them out when lie came. I suspected that 
there was method in this suggestion, but never¬ 
theless I fell in with it. I afterward learned 
that the Indians feared they would kill more 
deer than their own horses could carry, and they 
wanted ours to help out. It evidently did not 
occur to them that they might load their extra 
meat on a raft and bring it out. 
In two days Charley, who was an expert river- 
man, had constructed a stout little raft, and our 
duffle was loaded on it. We pushed off with the 
assurance of sleeping in our own beds at home 
the day following. 
Zoological Park’s Arctic Guests. 
In these brilliant October days a visit to the 
New York Zoological Societies’ Park in the 
Bronx is well worth taking, whether by the resi¬ 
dents of New York city or by the strangers with¬ 
in her gates. The air is crisp, clear and delight¬ 
ful; the foliage is still luxuriant, though the 
leaves are beginning to fall and their color to 
change; the animals are beginning to assume 
their autumn coats, and for the most part are 
sleek and glossy. 
As one wanders over the hill, dreaming of 
other days as he watches perhaps the herd of 
buffalo—most of them lying down and chewing 
the cud, but occasionally an old bull pawing the 
earth and throwing the dust up over his back- 
lie may be thrilled by hearing from far off the 
musical mellow whistle of the challenging bull 
elk. For a second the listener forgets his sur¬ 
roundings, and is transported to other scenes and 
other times. Thousands of miles and years of 
life roll away, and again he is watching from 
some bare mountainside for a great bull to step 
out of the timber. Alas, his thrill is brief, and 
he swiftly comes back to reality. 
Or perhaps, as he wanders through the woods 
or near one of the lakes, he may hear a whistling 
of wings, or see shadows swiftly darting along 
the ground, and looking up may see a flock of 
black ducks and mallards flying above him, with¬ 
in easy gunshot. Swiftly they pass along, and 
after swinging once or twice, perhaps come down 
in the lake near some of the other fowl, making 
a picture like that recently shown in Forest and 
Stream under the title “Mallards Coming In,” 
reproduced from one of Mr. Lodge’s spirited 
paintings. It seems extraordinary that these wild 
ducks should come as they do into the ponds 
in the Zoological Park and in Central Park— 
ponds where people are constantly moving about 
and to reach which they must fly over portions 
of the great city crowded with buildings, and— 
one would think—with other objects most alarm¬ 
ing to the shy and wary wildfowl. It is only 
another example of how absolutely unafraid 
these wild creatures may be in situations where 
they are not persecuted. 
In the Bronx Zoological Park, as already re¬ 
ported in Forest and Stream, are a number of 
Arctic animals which are especially worth see¬ 
ing. Beside the little muskox heifer, now a year 
and a half old, which is growing splendidly and 
is in superb condition, there are to be seen five 
of the muskox calves recently presented by Paul 
J. Rainey and Harry Whitney. They are ap¬ 
parently in good condition and differ from the 
older animal in nothing except size and the lack 
of horns. These are just starting on the little 
bulls, and their long hair is hanging down well 
toward their ankles, though it has not yet be¬ 
come thick. The sixth calf, which was badly 
bitten by a dog at the time of its capture, is now 
in the hospital and is recovering from its wound 
and doing well. 
The little walrus, the second owned by the 
Zoological Society, is reported to be doing 
well. Not long ago it had a bad case of in¬ 
fluenza. Time was when walruses were found 
as far south on the Atlantic Coast as Massachu¬ 
setts and even the Carolinas, but this was long, 
long ago. In historic times the walrus was 
found as far south as the mouth of the St. Law¬ 
rence, Newfoundland and even Nova Scotia. 
The early sailors found them in vast numbers 
on certain islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
where their bones are sometimes found even to¬ 
day. Prof. A. S. Packard has told of the occur¬ 
rence of an accidental walrus or two in the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence, as late as about 1840, and 
writers at the end of the eighteenth century had 
much to say about them. Now, the Atlantic 
walrus is extinct except in the far North, and 
the same is true of the Pacific walrus—a differ¬ 
ent species—once so abundant in the Bering Sea 
and only a generation ago a regular inhabitant 
of one of the islands of the Pribilof group. 
The great polar bear, known as King, concern¬ 
ing which so much was published in the news¬ 
papers soon after the arrival of the Beothic, has 
been transferred to his new cage of concrete and 
heavy iron bars, where he is probably safe. The 
inclosure is large for a cage, but small for a 
bear den. Its occupant has some apparent pe¬ 
culiarities that are worth noting. Most polar 
bears seen in captivity are extremely long cast 
and really slender creatures. King is an im¬ 
mense animal and appears to be much heavier 
and stockier than most white bears. His body 
looks short and heavy and his legs short and 
large. His coat is very fine and he has the 
appearance of being a perfect animal. It may 
be that no equally fine specimen has ever been 
seen in captivity. One would suppose him to 
be full grown, but we suspect that no one has 
ever made an examination of his mouth to see 
whether or no his teeth show much wear. Cap¬ 
tured as an adult, he undoubtedly suffers a great 
deal and it will take time for him to become 
accustomed to confinement. He growls or moans 
with each breath, the flies annoy him greatly and 
he clearly suffers from heat. All these things 
are, of course, unavoidable. 
It is interesting to watch the buffalo, many of 
which have begun to assume their winter pelage, 
the heads of the bulls being jet black. Most of 
the adults seem to be in good order, but some 
of the young stock is thin in flesh, and some of 
the young and the breeding cows and one or two 
sick animals have not yet completely shed their 
coats. On the other hand the European bison— 
the only ones on exhibition in America—have 
never, we think, looked so well as they do to¬ 
day. 'they are in good condition and coat. Un¬ 
fortunately they do not breed. 
It will be remembered that in the spring a 
kid was born to the only female white goat in 
the Society’s collection. The little animal has 
done well and grown finely. We may hope that 
it will continue to flourish. One of the white 
goats died in July last, leaving four adults which 
are pictures of health. Dr. Hornaday has been 
extremely successful in his handling of these 
animals. 
Last summer, too, the great Bengal tiger Rajah, 
presented to the Society years ago by the late 
Charles T. Barney, died, and its mate is left alone. 
On Saturday, Oct. 1, a tapir escaped from its 
inclosure at the elephant house and spent some 
little time among the shrubbery near Cope Lake. 
It was finally captured on Sunday, having been 
seen by a little girl on her way to church, who 
notified the keepers. The beast was roped after 
some difficulty and pursuit, part of the time on 
the land and a part in the water. 
Anyone who visits the park to-day will be 
struck by the apparently excellent condition of 
all the animals there. This is especially true of 
the bears, whose long glossy coats fairly shine 
in the sun. 
As has been often pointed out before, there 
are few institutions in New York city which do 
as much good as the Zoological Park and the 
Aquarium. They furnish interest and pleasure 
to a vast number of people, great numbers of 
whom have not many pleasures. These institu¬ 
tions should be supported by the good will and 
the active interest of every resident of New 
York and its environs, and everyone who can 
afford to do so should become a member of the 
New York Zoological Society. The new ad¬ 
ministration building which has just been com¬ 
pleted in the Zoological Park offers tangible 
benefits to members of the Society, which are 
well worth the cost of such membership. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
