FOREST AND STREAM. 


[Ocr. 19, 1907. 





A Grand Coup in Heads and Horns. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Through the liberality of a thorough sports- 
man and lover of wild life, Mr. Emerson Mc- 
Millin, of New York, member of the Camp-fire 
Club, art connoisseur and hunter in many lands, 
the founders of the National Collection of Heads 
and Horns have scored a grand coup. The fam- 
ous Reed collection of heads and antlers of giant 
Alaskan moose, caribou, sheep, bear and walrus 
has been purchased, packed and safely trans- 
ported from the Union Club, in Victoria, B. T., 
to the storage rooms in the Lion House of the 
New York Zoological Park. 
To every American sportsman and naturalist, 
who has either seen or heard of that matchless 
collection, this will be counted as good news. 
It is important that the Reed collection should 
remain in America, and that it is to be perma- 
nently exhibited in New York, where it can be 
seen by the millions. The collection is of special 
interest and value because of the great number 
of exceptionally fine examples of northern big 
game that it contains, all in a fine state of preser- 
vation. 
During the years when big moose and caribou 
were abundant on the Kenai Peninsula, and in 
other accessible districts of Alaska, an English 
sportsman, Mr. A. S. Reed, then residing in 
Victoria, made many hunting trips to the best 
game districts of Alaska and British Columbia. 
He spent several winters in the far Northwest, 
sometimes with the Indians, in order to hunt 
moose and caribou when they were in their finest 
condition as to antler, and to hunt the big brown 
bears when their pelage was at its best; in fact, 
Mr. Reed had his pick of the big game at the 
time when it was most plentiful, and the finest 
specimens taken by him were saved for his col- 
lection. 
The final result was a collection of heads, 
horns and skins of the grandest game of North 
America such as never before has been brought 
together, and which, it is safe to predict, never 
will be again. The factors that now operate 
adversely are the destruction of the big game, 
the law’s restrictions, and the absence of the 
game itself. On the Kenai Peninsula, for ex- 
ample, the big caribou have been exterminated. 
To-day no sportsman can reasonably hope to 
find a moose with antlers spreading seventy-six 
inches, and having a width of palmation that can 
only be described as enormous; yet such is the 
character of the finest moose head in the Reed 
collection. It would be almost an impossibility 
to duplicate that specimen. There are six moose 
heads in all and each one is of commanding pro- 
portions. 
The caribou heads, of which there are six, are 
also remarkably fine. The series contains the 
head of an Osborn’s caribou (Rangifer osborni) 
from the Cassiar Mountains, which Mr. Madison 
Grant regards as the finest caribou head in the 
world, but there are others in the series which 
seem equally fine. 
The series of bear trophies contains an enor- 
mous skin of a Kadiak bear which Mr. Paul 
Niedieck regards as the finest of all bear skins 
and worth $1,000. There is one other skin, and 

six mounted heads of extra large Alaskan brown 
bears, a group which includes the giants of all 
living bears. 
For the past two or three years Dr. C. Hart 
Merriam, Mr. Charles Sheldon and other Ameri- 
can naturalists and sportsmen have urged that 
steps be taken to keep the Reed collection in 
America, and if possible locate it permanently in 
some large Eastern city. Last spring Mr. W. 
T. Hornaday determined to secure it for the 
National Collection of Heads and Horns, and 
began the negotiations which have at last re- 
sulted in complete success. Having located Mr. 
Reed in England, and secured an option on the 
collection at the very low figure of $5,000, the 
whole matter was laid before Mr. Emerson Mc- 
Millin, who at once authorized the purchase of 

rr 

EMERSON MCMILLIN, 
it as his gift. To the purchase price he added 
$500 to cover the cost of bringing the collection 
to New York. Mr. Reed’s price for it was 
originally $10,000, but in view of the object for 
which his trophies were desired he generously 
reduced the price to about one-half its real 
value. Since the purchase was closed a wealthy 
German sportsman has declared that he would 
willingly have given for the collection double 
the sum that was paid for it. 
The collection was received in Victoria by 
Fred Foster, the leading taxidermist of the 
Pacific coast (who mounted all the heads that it 
contains), and it was officially inspected by 
American Consul Abraham FE. Smith. Mr. 
Foster gave the specimens a general overhaul- 
ing and retouching, packed them in six huge 
cases, and on Sept. 20 shipped them to New 
York. Much regret was expressed in Victoria 
over the loss of the collection, a portion of which 
had for several years been in the rooms of the 
Union Club. It arrived at the Zoological Park 
in October and has been stored temporarily in 
the Lion House, in the room used for the stor- 
age of the specimens steadily accumulating in 
the National collection. With the completion 
of the Administration Building in 1908 it will be 
shown with the other objects of the National 
collection in the picture gallery. 
Etwin R. SANBORN. 



Appreciation of Nature. 
BLuE Mountain Lake, N. Y., Oct. 4—Edito 
Forest and Stream: A recent occurrence her 
is interesting, suggestive and encouraging. I 
illustrates a true appreciation of nature and thi; 
effect of her influence upon a responsive soull, 
Among recent visitors to this charming regio1 
was Prof. J. M. Taylor, of Colgate University), 
He is a true nature lover, and probably mor’ 
than anyone else connected with the universit:}; 
he serves, responsible for the beautiful campu|; 
and university grounds developed under th), 
direction of a skilled landscape artist. Proj); 
Taylor has traveled widely, visiting Japan, Chini| 
and Europe as well as the most attractive scener)); 
in the United States including Yellowstone Park); 
Yosemite Valley and the Grand Cafion in Ari 
zona. He says some of the views here at Blu; 
Mountain Lake are as beautiful as any he eve: 
saw. Also that no region he ever visited minis 
tered to his physical recuperation like the Adi} 
rondacks. He is an enthusiastic climber o, 
mountains and has several times ascended Blu: 
Mountain for the view. He knew it, as did th; 
writer, when the summit had been cleared bi, 
Verplank Colvin in his survey, and afforded ai| 
extended view in every direction. Far as thi 
eye could reach north, south and west, onh 
great billowy waves of forest broken here anc 
there by lake and stream. It was almost thi| 
same eastward, and in a clear day one cout 
see with the natural eye the Green Mountaini), 
in Vermont. It was one of the most inspirins* 
scenes of its kind. But now the top of Blu! 
Mountain is covered by a dense growth of ever r 
greens and the view in any direction is limited!’ 
The inspiration and most of the attraction ari)! 
gone. : 
This disturbed Prof. Taylor. It was the sac" 
rifice of too much that was marvelously beatr | 
tiful, helpful and ennobling. So returning to his) 
hotel he drew up a subscription paper and com : 
menced a cash subscription for the purpose o 
building a tower of observation on the summi? 
of Blue Mountain. He enlisted Tyler Merwin’! 
of the Blue Mountain Hotel, who promised tc 
erect the tower if the cash was provided. Mr! 
E. H. Haven, of New York, has undertaken tc/" 
complete the raising of the necessary amount™ 
and so it is confidently expected that next sea-/ 
son’s visitors will be rewarded for their ascen’, 
of the mountain by the full opportunity of ont! 
of the finest views in the United States. In the) 
resulting enjoyment and uplift contributors tc" 
the fund will find ample satisfaction. Here 1), 
public spirit of the right sort. JUVENAL, 






















































































Wild Beasts and Birds for Sale. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Should you care to own a pet lion, a postoffict}, 
money order for $800 will bring to your neares}, 
railroad station as fine a specimen of the ca}, 
family as you could desire, or perhaps you ma}\y 
prefer to have a white-tailed gnu; if so a check} 
for $400 will land one at your door. It wil) 
then be up to you to know what to do with} 
them. In fact the investment might prove ¢; 
poor one unless you were contemplating starting, 
a circus. The truth remains, however, that built 
ness of importing wild animals, birds and rep}, 
tiles has grown to such an extent that there ari),, 
now several large firms who do an excellen’, 
business importing and rearing all sorts of beagep 
and birds. : f eh 
Among the birds imported are Hungariaty, 
These little chaps are, it is believed} 



partridges. 
going to prove a very valuable addition to oul; 
list of game birds. The disappearance of thd, 
quail from our Northern States is a matter 0}, 
concern to every sportsman and nature lover}, 
Many attempts have been made to introducth, 
southern and western birds, but without suc 


