

FOREST AND STREAM. 





NATURAL TSDISIROS7 





A Report on Wood Buffalo. 
NEws comes slowly from the North. Des- 
patches dated Fort Smith, Great Slave River, 
Mackenzie River District, June 3oth, only reached 
Athabasca Landing July 3oth, and have now 
come to hand. They bring up again the ques- 
tion of the present condition of the wood buf- 
falo, about whose destruction by wolves so much 
has been heard within the past two or three 
years. The subject is one of deep interest to all 
sportsmen and naturalists. On more than one 
occasion the Governor General of Canada has 
spoken of it in public; and on more than one 
occasion President Roosevelt has expressed his 
great anxiety about the fate of these splendid 
beasts. Not very many months ago, the people 
and the newspapers of the extreme Northwest 
were discussing how best to get rid of the 
wolves, and were proposing that the govern- 
ment should double the bounty on them, believ- 
ing that in this way the danger to the buffalo 
could be reduced. 
As it has come from the Northwest, the tale 
has been that the ferocious timber wolves were 
destroying the new-born calves each year, and 
it was said that in such buffalo herds as still 
exist, no young stock is to be found. It is true 
that in the range of the buffalo everywhere there 
have always been wolves, and these wolves have 
always destroyed calves when they could; and 
some naturalists have asked why should the 
wolves be more dangerous to the buffalo now 
than they have been in past times. 
Inspector Jarvis, of the Northwest Mounted 
Police, in company with Mr. Ernest Thompson 
Seton, has just got in from a trip to the range 
of these buffalo. They left Edmonton for Atha- 
basca Landing on May 14th, and after a rather 
hard trip reached Smith Landing at about mid- 
night of June 7th. 
On the way to the point where they left the 
river their inquiries about the buffalo were con- 
stantly answered by statements that the buffalo 
were being destroyed by the wolves. Traders, 
Indians and half-breeds all agreed that the 
wolves were the cause of the diminution of the 
buffalo. When Inspector Jarvis told these people 
that he was going to the buffalo range to see 
what could be done to destroy the wolves, he 
was told that it was impossible to reach the buf- 
falo range, that the country was under water, 
'and the flies were very bad. No one would go 
as a guide, and finally, after much talk, the In- 
| dians all disappeared. 
At last, however, one Beaulieu, a half-breed, 
was secured, and the party set out, the start being 
made June 13th. The journey led over a good 
country, in some places wooded. Salt River was 
crossed, and on the rising upland known as Salt 
| Mountain they came upon a splendid farming 
country. At last they reached a section which 
was evidently within the buffalo range and a 
little later saw their first buffalo. Inspector Jar- 
vis, describing this, said: “The trails, wallows 
and chips of buffalo became noticeable, but as 
they were old we gave them only passing note, 
| but when two perfectly fresh ones appeared we 
dismounted to follow them on foot. Beaulieu 
stalked the animals just as he would a moose, 
and in about an hour led Mr. Seton (who was 
armed with his camera) to an open glade, where 
|in plain view was a herd of thirteen buffalo, two 
|big bulls, one calf of this year and the rest cows 
jand yearlings. Their photograph was taken 
three times at sixty yards before they became 
alarmed and ran off. Bear tracks abound every- 
where, and that night Beaulieu shot an old bear 
and two cubs within fifty yards of our camp. 
| “In the morning Mr. Seton remained in camp 
| for purposes of photography, and Beaulieu and 
|myself traveled all day until 10:40 P. M., when 
|we came on fresh tracks of what appeared to 
|be a large herd. We tied our horses in the 
woods and followed along for about a mile 
through wet, swampy ground until we came in 
sight of a bunch, all of which were lying down 
except three big bulls. They were on a large 
salt lick. We crawled up to within (what we 
afterwards found by measurement to be) fifty 
paces of them. I took out my glasses, but owing 
to our position could not get correct count of 
them. After resting for a little while we both 
walked down into the open. I took out my 
pocket-book and wrote down as follows: ‘Four 
big bulls, one yearling, four little calves, three 
two-year-olds and eight cows.’ They then saw 
us and got up one by one and stared at us, show- 
ing how easily they can be approached and killed. 
Beaulieu then shouted and they galloped into 
the woods behind them. The bulls were magnifi- 
cent-looking animals. They had not yet shed all 
their winter coats, but the cows were sleek and 
fine-looking.”’ 
The sight of these splendid animals greatly ex- 
cited the half-breed, who not unnaturally—for an 
Indian—wanted very much to kill one. Mr. Jar- 
vis Says: 
“Before going into the open, Beaulieu, who had 
his rifle along, said: ‘Mon Dieu, Major! Let 
me kill him one cow!’ I explained to him that 
we would be fined $500 and that I would 
lose my position. He then said: ‘Let me kill 
him one for the government!’ but I would 
not permit it.” 
Undoubtedly, if the policeman had not been 
present, Beaulieu would have killed one or more 
buffalo. 
The report that in two days they saw thirty- 
three buffalo and the fresh tracks of ten or 
twelve more is very gratifying. The inspector 
reports, on the other hand, that signs of wolves 
were exceedingly scarce, and the conclusion was 
reached that there are very few wolves there. 
He is of the opinion that the talk of the wolves 
1s a mere excuse for the reduction in numbers 
of the buffalo, and that they are really being 
killed off by hunters. ‘ 
Inspector Jarvis urged that these animals be 
preserved by the government at any cost. He 
believes that the country between the Peace. 
Slave and Hay rivers as far down as Fort Reso- 
lution should be set apart for a government park. 
It would be far wiser to do it now than later, 
when settlement begins, and if at any future 
time the government should decide to throw it 
open for settlement, they could do so, but in the 

meantime the buffalo would have been preserved. 
There are spots of country which, if seen by 
cow-men from the American side, would send 
them crazy; thousands upon thousands of tons 
of hay can be got by just putting in the machine 
and horses. There is also splendid shelter for 
cattle and loads of timber for sheds and build- 
ings, 
“Unless these animals are given protection 
now,’ says Inspector Jarvis, “I am sure it will 
be the same as happened thirty years ago fur- 
ther south. Canada will wake up to the fact that 
the buffalo are extinct, and they will wonder how 
it was done. Now, when a novice can creep up 
to within 50° paces of a band of 13 and 20 of 
them, how easy it would be for a good hunter 
to kill every one of them. I am of the opinion 
that the buffalo are in danger not from wolves 
but from the poachers who live at Smith Land- 
ing in the summer time, but who could be easily 
controlled by a local patrol police. I have so 
reported to the commissioner, and have recom- 
mended that if it is the wish of the government 
to protect the buffalo resident guardians be placed 
upon the grounds, otherwise the buffalo will not 
last five years.” 


Ostrich Hatched in England. 
Wuat is probably the first ostrich hatched in 
England, according to the London Field, came 
out in an incubator at the Crystal Palace on 
Tuesday, after forty-three days, and others are 
expected. No ostrich-chicks have been hatched 
in the Zoological Gardens, though other struth- 
ious birds have bred there, as emus and rheas 
have also done in private grounds. According 
to Mosenthal and Harting’s “Ostrich and Os- 
trich Farming,” the incubator was employed on 
ostrich farms in South Africa thirty years ago, 
and in Australia as early as 1873 clutches of eggs 
were hatched out by the parent birds, both sitting 
in turn, and the male more closely than his mate. 

Rattlesnake Query. 
Wymnore, Neb., Aug. 26.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Will some of your readers be kind 
enough to tell me whether a rattlesnake carries 
his rattles flat, or edgewise? Second, do they 
lie on the ground when the snake is crawling? 
A. D. McCanp tess. 

SKULL OF A 
CALIFORNIA 
LYNX. 
Reproduced full size from a specimen killed by our correspondent Ransacker. 
The total length is 44 inches and the width about 3 inches. 
The skin of this 
animal measures 35 inches from nose to tip of tail. 

