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THE 

NATIONAL    COLLECTION 

OF 

HEADS    AND    HORNS 


PART   I 


;NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

188D  STREET  AND  SOUTHERN  BOULEVARD 

NEW    YORK 

MAY  1,  1907 


Hcadu  and  Horn  ft 


PLATE  I 


TUSKS  OF  AN  AFRICAN  ELEPHANT,   (Elephas    afriranu.t} 

The  longest  ever  known  from  a  living  species 

Gift  of  Charles  T.   Barney,  Esq. 


THE 

NATIONAL    COLLECTION 

OF 

HEADS    AND    HORNS 


PART    I 


NEW   YORK   ZOOLOGICAL   PARK 

183i)  STREET  AND  SOUTHERN  BOULEVARD 
NEW     YORK 

MAY    1,  1Q07 


V 


COPYRIGHT,  1907,  BY  THE 
NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  SOCIETY 


THE    KALKHOFF    COMPANY 
NEW    YORK 


•IOLOOT 

V.IBRART 

THE  NUCLEUS  OF  A  NATIONAL  COLLECTION 
OF  HEADS  AND  HORNS* 

U'iWam  T.  Hornaday,  Sc.D. 


A1ONG  nature-lovers,  sportsmen,  and  also  the  general  public,  interest  in 
the  horned  animals  of  the  world  is  rapidly  increasing.  This  concentra- 
tion of  attention  upon  an  order  of  mammals,  which  ever  has  commanded 
a  large  share  of  public  interest,  is  partly  due  to  the  rapid  disappearance,  and 
in  many  cases  the  impending  extinction,  of  its  numbers  and  its  species.  At  last 
it  is  realized  that  without  their  rightful  quota  of  wild  life  of  the  larger  species, 
the  grandest  mountains,  the  finest  forests,  and  the  most  fertile  plains  become 
dull  and  commonplace. 

To  know  thoroughly  the  horn-bearing  mammals  of  the  world  is  to  know 
the  world  also.  Savage  races  of  men  may  be,  and  usually  are,  easily  spoiled  by 
contact  with  modern  civilization,  and  the  natural  edge  of  native  character  is 
quickly  lost  by  contact  with  the  grinding  wheels  of  modern  life  and  thought. 
Hut  not  so  the  wild  animals.  Contact  with  man  only  serves  to  sharpen  their 
wits,  point  their  perceptive  powers,  and  stimulate  new  lines  of  thought  and 
action  making  for  self-preservation. 

It  is  natural  for  one  who  is  interested  in  a  special  group  of  animal  forms 
to  desire  a  collection  which  in  one  way  or  another  will  represent  its  members. 
Of  groups  which  embrace  only  small-sized  individuals,  it  is  often  possible  for 
one  man  to  possess  a  large  assortment  of  species  and  individuals.  But  in  the 
gratification  of  a  taste  involving  individuals  of  large  bulk,  the  limitations  are 
many  and  severe.  With  such  important  forms  as  the  large  hoofed  mammals 
of  the  world,  it  is  not  desirable  that  many  men  should  be  animated  by  the  de- 
sire for  large  collections.  The  undue  gratification  of  too  wide-spread  a  desire 
for  heads  and  horns,  irrespective  of  their  origin,  would  mean  great  and  de- 
plorable slaughter  "for  commercial  purposes."  A  collection  limited  to  per- 
sonal trophies  won  by  the  owner  is  quite  another  matter,  chiefly  because  of  its 
wholesome  limitations;  and  in  these  days,  no  sportman  or  naturalist  should 
shoot  more  animals  than  he  preserves. 

•Presented  to  the  New  York  Zoological  Society,  by  the  Author,  December  19,   1906. 


JVJ371592 


6  The  National  Collection 

In  America,  museums  generally  are  treating  the  Order  Ungiilata  merely 
as  an  integral  part  of  the  great  living  world,  which  is  not  to  be  unduly  exploited 
at  the  expense  of  other  zoological  groups  of  equal  scientific  importance.  In  the 
zoological  parks  and  gardens,  the  limitations  upon  the  collections  of  hoofed 
animals  are  numerous,  and  it  is  possible  to  procure  and  exhibit  only  a  few  rep- 
resentative species,  which  as  far  as  possible  must  typify  the  whole  vast  series. 

Nevertheless,  the  desire  to  behold  complete  collections  of  large-game 
specimens  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast.  The  wish  for  a  comprehen- 
sive and  all-embracing  exhibit  of  the  world's  horn-bearing  animals  is  both 
natural  and  legitimate.  To  us,  the  logical  sequence  of  the  situation  is  a  na- 
tional collection  of  heads  and  horns,  as  fine  and  as  nearly  complete  as  Ameri- 
can sportsmen  and  travelers  can  make  it,  located  in  the  New  York  Zoological 
Park,  and  owned  and  maintained  in  perpetuity  by  the  New  York  Zoological 
Society. 

A  survey  of  the  ways  and  means  that  are  available  for  the  attainment  of 
such  an  end  quickly  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  a  well-considered  plan,  properly 
inaugurated  and  diligently  pursued,  would  lead  to  a  successful  result.  There 
is  reason  for  the  belief  that  a  collection  founded  on  lines  sufficiently  broad  and 
dignified  to  command  the  respect  of  the  sportsmen  of  America,  would  receive 
from  them  active  support  sufficient  to  guarantee  its  ultimate  success.  A  collec- 
tion so  large,  so  rich  in  fine  specimens,  and  so  nearly  complete  in  species  as  to 
command  national  and  international  respect,  surely  would  possess  sufficient 
zoological  value  to  make  its  existence  and  its  increase  well  worth  while.  There 
are  few,  if  any,  American  sportsmen  who  will  not  welcome  the  idea  of  a  great 
national  collection  of  ungulate  heads  and  horns  which  in  time  will  rank  with 
the  best  collections  of  Europe. 

Naturally,  in  the  founding  of  such  a  collection,  the  standards  must  be 
fixed  high,  and  the  conditions  of  admission  must  be  reasonably  severe.  No 
specimen  should  be  accepted  without  a  specific  reason  to  justify  its  presence. 
Perhaps  the  first  great  object  to  be  sought  should  be  zoological  completeness. 
That  once  attained,  mediocrity  should  be  weeded  out,  and  the  average  of  excel- 
lence should  constantly  rise. 

There  should  be  two  series  of  specimens,  both  of  which  eventually  should 
be  made  complete.  The  first  should  be  zoological,  the  second  geographical, 
and  each  should  command  an  abundance  of  space.  The  first  should  be  arranged 
in  accordance  with  the  system  of  Nature,  to  show  evolution  and  relationships. 
Dull  indeed  is  the  imagination  which  can  not  foresee  the  intense  interest  which 


Heads  and  Ilonm 


PLATE  II 


SKUI.I.  AND  HORNS  OK  SIBERIAN  ARGAI/I,  (Ovi»  ammon) 
Photographed  in  the  Zoological  Park 


8  The  National  Collection 

would  attach  to  certain  groups,  such  for  example  as  the  Cervidae,  when  it  is 
possible  for  the  eye  to  comprehend  at  one  sweep  the  long  line  of  forms  related 
to  the  Altai  Wapiti.  Imagine,  also,  the  radiation  of  the  genus  Ovis  from 
western  Mongolia  southward  to  India,  westward  to  Sardinia  and  Morocco, 
and  northeastward  by  the  grand  loop  to  Kamchatka,  Alaska,  and  Mexico. 

The  second  series  naturally  would  be  created  to  display  the  ungulate  re- 
sources of  the  continents;  and  herein  would  maps  of  the  geographical  distribu- 
tion of  families,  of  genera,  and  of  species  be  strongly  in  evidence.  In  this 
series  would  be  shown  the  centers  of  distribution  and  the  culminating  points  of 
many  species  popular  with  American  sportsmen  and  naturalists.  Here  would 
be  displayed  or  deposited  an  endless  series  of  maps  and  pictures  illustrating 
the  haunts  and  home  life  of  important  species.  Here  would  naturally  be 
gathered  together  such  a  collection  of  photographs  of  living  wild  animals, 
both  in  their  haunts  and  in  captivity,  as  never  yet  has  been  formed.  The 
records  of  big  game  which  naturally  would  accumulate  in  the  national  collec- 
tion, soon  would  represent  great  zoological  value. 

There  are  many  reasons  why  a  national  collection  of  heads  and  horns 
should  be  formed  and  displayed  in  New  York,  rather  than  elsewhere.  The 
metropolis  of  the  western  continent  is  the  natural  home  of  the  greatest  edu- 
cational collections  of  America.  Hither  come,  sooner  or  later,  all  American 
sportsmen  and  naturalists,  and  the  majority  of  those  who  visit  our  continent 
from  abroad.  New  York  is  truly  a  pan- American  city.  Its  Zoological  So- 
ciety is  in  keen  sympathy  with  the  proposition,  and  offers  the  guarantee  of 
space  and  permanency  which  is  absolutely  essential  to  success.  The  natural 
home  of  such  a  collection  as  that  proposed  is  in  the  beautifully  forested 
grounds  of  the  Zoological  Park,  surrounded  by  the  living  representatives  of 
now  sixty-five — but  presently  a  hundred — species  of  hoofed  animals.  Further- 
more the  Zoological  Park  already  enjoys  the  support  and  co-operation  of  a 
large  number  of  American  sportsmen  who  are  specially  interested  in  the  ungu- 
lates of  the  world. 

In  England  practically  all  British  sportsmen  pour  their  finest  and  rarest 
horned  trophies  into  the  South  Kensington  Museum.  Very  naturally,  the  re- 
sult is  a  collection  of  ungulates  which  is  at  once  the  envy  and  the  despair  of 
Americans.  As  yet  no  American  museum  possesess  a  collection  which  is  even 
second  to  it;  and  we  greatly  fear  that,  for  reasons  only  too  apparent,  no 
museum  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  ever  will  rival  that  marvelous  gathering 
of  hoofed  and  horned  rarities. 


Heads-  and  Horns  9 

'Flint  American  sportsmen  and  travelers  should  unite  in  forming  here  a 
collection  of  heads,  horns  and  records  worthy  of  this  great  continent,  surely 
is  not  too  much  to  hope  for.  For  several  years  past,  Mr.  Madison  Grant, 
Secretary  of  the  New  York  Zoological  Society,  and  the  writer  have  desired 
that  the  Society  should  possess  and  exhibit  in  its  Zoological  Park  a  fine  col- 
lection of  heads,  horns  and  records  which  should  be  of  practical  value.  That 
desire  has  finally  crystali/ed  in  a  plan  for  a  national  collection,  as  herein 
briefly  described. 

As  evidence  of  an  interest  in  the  matter,  the  writer  has  presented  to  the 
Zoological  Society  his  collection  of  more  than  one  hundred  heads  and  horns,  to 
serve  as  the  nucleus  of  the  proposed  national  collection.  In  offering  a  few 
notes  regarding  the  "nucleus"  itself,  an  outline  of  the  greater  collection  is 
naturally  suggested. 

THK      MOUNTAIN     SHEEP 

It  is  only  those  who  make  systematic  collections  who  can  realize  the  keen 
pleasure  that  is  derived  from  the  possession  of  a  complete,  or  nearly  complete, 
series  of  important  zoological  objects..  We  have  observed  that  even  the  most 
indifferent  observer  of  animals  is  aroused  by  the  sight  of  a  group  of  heads 
and  horns  which  embraces  fine  specimens  of  the  finest  species  of  a  given  genus, 
and  that  represent  localities  scattered  all  over  the  habitable  globe.  By  way  of 
illustration,  take  the  mountain  sheep  in  the  "nucleus  collection." 

As  many  persons  are  already  aware,  wherever  it  is  found,  a  mountain 
sheep,  no  matter  what  its  species,  is  an  intelligent,  keen-eyed,  bold-hearted 
and  nimble-footed  animal,  which  is  at  home  only  amid  the  grandest  mountains 
it  can  find.  Its  successful  pursuit  means  great  physical  exertion  and  good 
marksmanship,  amid  the  grandest  aspects  of  nature  as  expressed  in  mountain 
forms.  To  my  mind,  the  pursuit  of  mountain  game  is  as  far  above  the  hunt- 
ing to  be  found  in  forests  and  plains  as  the  rifle  is  above  the  revolver;  and 
there  are  no  animals  which  so  powerfully  appeal  to  the  hunter's  inmost  soul  as 
do  the  crag-climbing  wild  sheep,  goats,  and  ibexes. 

Of  the  specimens  in  the  "nucleus  collection,"  the  most  remarkable  is  a 
colossal  pair  of  horns  from  the  great  Siberian  Argali,  or  Ovis  ammon  (Plate 
II) .  This  animal  is  the  largest  of  the  world's  mountain  sheep,  and  its  home  and 
center  of  distribution  is  the  Altai  Mountains  of  western  Mongolia.  The  fully 
adult  male  Argali  stands  about  48  inches  in  shoulder  height,  but  for  its  body 
to  be  in  fair  proportion  to  its  enormous  horns,  it  should  be  five  feet  high. 


Heads  and  Horns 


PLATE  III 


1  White  Mountain  Sheep 

2  Aoudad 


MOUNTAIN   SHEEl' 

3  Burrhel 

4  Black  Mountain  Sheep 


5  Littledale's  Sheep 

6  Thian  Shan  Polo  Sheep 


Heads  and  Horns  11 

An  extra  large  pair  of  horns  of  this  species  is  the  grandest  trophy  a  sheep- 
hunter  ever  can  secure,  not  even  excepting  the  wide-horned  Or  in  poll,  of  Tibet. 

These  horns,  now  fully  dry  and  shrunken  quite  two  inches,  measure  19Vi> 
inches  in  basal  circumference,  ;>9'/s  inches  in  length  on  the  curve,  and  the  dis- 
tance between  the  tips  is  40  inches.  This  specimen  came  directly  from  the  Altai 
Mountains,  with  the  skin  dried  down  upon  the  skull,  and  thus  the  entire  skull 
was  perfectly  preserved.  So  enormous  are  these  horns,  that  beside  them  the 
largest  horns  of  our  American  Big-Horn  seem  small.  In  Mr.  Rowland 
Ward's  list  of  sixty-two  ol'  the  largest  heads  in  the  world,  this  one  stands  as 
number  four.* 

The  Siar  Mountains,  also  of  central  Asia,  have  contributed  a  fine  pair  of 
horns  of  the  very  rare  Littledale  Sheep, — Ovis  siarensis  (Plate  III,  Fig.  5), 
marked  by  very  many  narrow  growth-rings,  and  an  open  spiral.  Of  this  spe- 
cies only  ten  specimens  are  recorded,  and  for  one  so  rare,  this  specimen  is  of 
very  satisfactory  size.  So  far  as  the  records  of  sport  are  concerned,  its  home 
is  almost  a  term  incognita.  These  horns  are  loVi  inches  in  circumference  and 
47  inches  in  length. 

The  other  Asiatic  sheep  represented  in  the  collection  are  the  Kamchatkan 
Sheep.  (Orin  tiiricola) ,  the  Aoudad  of  northern  Africa  (Plate  III,  Fig.  2), 
the  liurrhel  or  Blue  Wild  Sheep  of  the  Himalayas  of  northern  India  (Plate 
III,  Fig.  3),  and  the  small,  wide-horned  sheep  of  Tibet, — Ovis  karelini 
(Plate  III,  Fig.  (>).  The  horns  of  the  last-named  species  are  like  an  under- 
study of  those  of  the  justly  famed  Ovis  poll;  but  their  spread  between  tips  is 
only  4.5  inches. 

Of  the  Xew  World  mountain  sheep,  which  inhabit  the  western  mountains 
of  this  continent  from  the  Arctic  coast  as  far  south  as  the  northern  states  of 
Mexico,  there  are  about  six  well-defined  species.  The  largest  is  the  stately 
Big-Horn  of  the  Rockies, — Ovis  canadensis  (Fig.  1),  now  very  rare  in  every 
portion  of  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  and  extinct  in  most  of  its  former 
haunts,  but  still  lingering  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  of  British  Columbia.  This 
species  culminates  in  southeastern  British  Columbia,  and  it  is  from  that  region 
that  the  largest  horns  have  come.  The  nucleus  collection  contains  a  very  im- 
posing mounted  head  which  was  obtained  at  Banff  for  the  writer  by  Mr.  G. 
().  Shields,  in  1  !><):*.  After  four  years  of  shrinking  the  horns  now  measure  ley- 
inches  in  basal  circumference,  16  inches  when  measured  18  inches  from  the 

*"  Records  of  Big  Game,"   fifth  edition,   iyo6,  page  402. 


The  National  Collection 

base,  and  GVi  inches  at  the  tip.    The  length  is  401/-.  inches,  and  the  weight  of  the 
clean  skull  and  horns,  fully  dry,  is  38  pounds. 

Next  in  rarity,  but  equaled  by  few  sheep  heads  in  beauty  of  pelage  and 
mounting,  is  a  good  example  of  the  little-known    Black    Sheep, — Oris    stonei 


FIG.  1. — ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  BIG-HORN 
Obtained   at   Banff',   B.    C.,   by   Mr.   G.    O.   Shields 


(Plate  III,  Fig.  4),  of  northern  British  Columbia.  This  handsome  specimen 
was  shot  in  the  Schesley  Mountains,  forty-five  miles  north  of  the  Stickine 
River,  by  Mr.  J.  R.  Bradley,  for  the  writer's  collection,  and  it  was  mounted  by 
Mr.  John  Murgatroyd.  The  horns  measure  14]/i>  inches  in  circumference, 
length  34,  and  spread  23x/2  inches. 


Heads  and  Horna  n 

Beside  the  last-mentioned  hangs  a  mounted  head  of  a  White  Mountain 
Sheep, — On*  dalli  (Plate  III,  Fig.  1),  from  the  Kenai  Peninsula,  the  horns 
of  which  are  37  inches  in  length.  The  western  shore  of  Bering  Sea  is  repre- 
sented hy  a  head  of  the  rare  Kamchatka!!  Mountain  Sheep  (Oris  nivicola) ,  a 
species  of  a  uniform  gray  color,  with  horns  very  similar  to  those  of  Ovis  dalli. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  collection  contains  a  pair  of  Black  Sheep 
horns  that  are  unusually  narrow  between  tips,  a  pair  of  horns  of  a  young  Oris 
poll  ram,  horns  of  a  female  Oris  fannini,  and  the  horns  of  a  Big-Horn  ram,  with 
one  tip  broken  and  hanging,  shot  immediately  after  a  prolonged  fight  with 
another  ram.  which  was  witnessed  by  the  hunter.  The  only  American  forms 
not  represented  in  the  collection  are  Oris  nehoni,  from  southern  California 
and  Lower  California,  and  the  Mexican  Sheep,  from  Chichuahua,  Mexico.  In 
about  one  more  year  this  collection  would  have  contained  a  series  of  mountain 
sheep  heads  and  horns  practically  complete  for  the  world.  One  domestic  sheep 
specimen  has  been  admitted.  It  comes  from  Kl  Paso,  Texas,  and  each  horn 
makes  two  fully  complete  circles.  These  are  the  only  sheep  horns  ever  seen 
by  the  author  making  two  perfect  turns. 

T  H  K     I  B  K  X  K  S     AND     GOATS 

Of  ibex  horns,  the  collection  contains  some  excellent  examples.  The  great 
Asiatic  Ibex, — Capra  sibirica  (Plate  IV,  Fig.  1)  is  represented  by  horns  from 
the  Altai  Mountains  of  western  Mongolia,  which  have  a  length  of  45 V4 
inches.  Quite  equal  in  interest  to  these  are  a  puzzling  pair  of  large  size 
studded  on  the  front  edge  with  a  perfectly  regular  row  of  "bosses"  of  enorm- 
ous size.  They  were  said  to  have  come  from  "the  Caucasus  Mountains,"  but 
Mr.  Rowland  Ward  has  pointed  out  the  impossibility  of  that  origin.  In  Mr. 
Ward's  "Records  of  Big  Game"  there  is  nothing  that  resembles  them,  and  their 
identity  is  at  present  involved  in  doubt.  It  seems  strange  that  any  animal  with 
horns  so  very  striking  and  characteristic  should  not  be  so  well  known,  as  to  be 
at  once  recognizable.  In  length,  these  horns  measure  only  26V2  inches,  but  at 
the  base  each  has  a  circumference  of  11  inches.  They  are  figured  herewith, 
and  in  Plate  IV  appear  as  Fig.  3. 

The  Nubian  Ibex, — Capra  nubiana  (Plate  IV,  Fig.  2),  from  Abyssinia, 
is  represented  by  horns  38  inches  long,  spreading  241/t>  inches  at  the  tips.  These 
are  quite  slender,  and  the  skull  indicates  a  small  animal  for  an  ibex.  The  more 
robust  Persian  Wild  Goat, — Capra  hircus  aegagrus  (Plate  IV,  Fig.  4)  is 
represented  by  a  massive  pair  39  inches  long,  with  a  basal  circumference  of 
9]/2  inches. 


i4  The  National  Collection 

Of  goats  and  goat-like  species  represented  in  this  collection,  perhaps  the 
most  remarkable  horn-producer  is  the  Suleiman  Markhor  (Plate  IV,  Fig.  5), 
of  Beluchistan,  southern  Asia.  Its  head  is  armed,  and  also  conspicuously 


FIG.  14. — WHITE  MOUNTAIN  GOAT 
Mounted  by  Mr.  Homer  R.  Dill 

ornamented,  with  a  huge  pair  of  horn  gimlets  27 '/4  inches  long,  set  on  the  head 
like  a  letter  V,  19  inches  between  tips.  The  spiral  twist  of  each  horn  is  reg- 
ular and  perfect,  and  a  pronounced  keel  runs  all  the  way  from  base  to  tip, 
making  two  complete  turns.  This  creature  belongs  to  a  group  of  three  remark- 


Heads  and  Horns 


PLATE  l\ 


1  Siberian  Ibex 

2  Nubian    Ibex 


IBEXES  AND  GOATS 


Siberian    Ibex, 
Persian    Wild 


(unidentified) 
Goat 


5  Suleiman    Markhor 

6  Takin 


16  The  National  Collection 

able  wild-goat  forms,  called  markhor  ("snake-eater!"),  all  of  which  inhabit 
the  "roof  of  the  world'"  in  Kashmir  and  Beluchistan,  northwest  of  India. 

In  the  group  of  short-horned  goats  (Rupicaprinac)  is  found  the  rare  and 
almost  unknown  Takin, — Budorcas  taxicolor  (Plate  IV,  Fig.  6),  from  south- 
eastern China,  near  the  Assam  frontier.  Of  this  creature,  as  large  as  a  donkey, 
but  horned  like  a  gnu,  Mr.  Rowland  Ward  has  said  that,  "although  living 
within  sight  of  Indian  territory,  it  does  not  appear  that  Takin  ever  have  been 
killed  by  English  sportsmen,  and  specimens  are  very  rare  in  collections."  Mr. 
Ward's  "Records"  note  the  existence  of  only  fifteen  specimens. 

The  White  Mountain  Goat  (Oreamnos  montanus),  which  can  come  from 
no  other  country  than  northwestern  North  America,  is  represented  by  a  very 
fine  mounted  head.  By  reason  of  its  great  bulk  and  shaggy  coat  of  pure  white 
hair,  this  animal  is  so  striking  that  it  does  not  require,  for  the  sake  of  appear- 
ances, the  massive  and  far-reaching  horns  of  the  ibex.  On  the  contrary,  the 
horns  of  Oreamnos  are  small  and  inconspicuous;  but,  being  very  strongly  built 
and  as  sharp  as  skewers,  they  are  exceedingly  useful  weapons  in  repelling 
the  attacks  of  all  predatory  animals  except  man.  This  specimen  owes  its  place 
in  the  nucleus  collection,  not  to  its  size,  nor  the  length  of  its  pelage,  but  to 
what  the  writer  regards  as  the  absolute  perfection  of  its  mounting.  A  Sep- 
tember head,  cut  from  the  animal  and  placed  in  the  flesh  upon  a  shield  would 
be  no  more  perfect  in  form  than  this  head  (Fig.  14),  which  was  mounted  by 
Mr.  Homer  R.  Dill. 

THE       ANTELOPES 

In  approaching  the  true  antelopes  we  behold  a  great  array  of  species  and 
a  marvelous  variety  of  forms.  In  size  they  vary  from  the  tiny  Duiker,  with 
legs  no  larger  than  a  pencil,  up  to  the  gigantic  Eland,  an  animal  as  large  as  an 
ox.  The  array  of  different  colors,  and  the  variety  of  color  patterns,  is  fairly 
bewildering.  The  splendid  Sable  Antelope  is  jet  black,  the  Hartebeests  are 
brown,  the  Roan  Antelopes  are  red,  the  Oryxes  are  harlequin — white  and 
black,  the  White-Bearded  Gnu  is  blue-gray,  and  the  Beatrix  is  snow  white.  In 
some  species  the  males  and  females  are  so  widely  and  so  permanently  different 
in  color  that  to  a  stranger  the  sexes  seem  of  different  species. 

The  variations  in  form  also  are  very  great.  There  is  every  possible  range, 
from  the  snake-like  Gerenuk,  with  a  neck  so  amazingly  long  and  thin  as  to  be 
unbelievable  until  seen,  to  the  Harnessed  Antelope,  with  a  short,  heavy  body 


Heads  and  Horns  17 

and  a  neck  with  the  lines  of  a  hison.  The  hoofs  vary  in  their  proportions,  from 
the  tiny,  compact  legs  of  the  Gazelles  to  the  hroad,  caribou-like  sand-shoe  of 
the  desert-dwelling  Addax. 

But  it  is  in  the  head  weapons  and  ornaments  of  the  antelopes  that  we  find 
the  greatest  diversity.  In  fashioning  these  the  ingenuity  of  Nature  seems  to 
have  run  riot.  In  glancing  over  the  horns  of  the  antelopes  as  a  whole,  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  imagine  how  a  greater  number  of  variations  could  have  been  produced 
in  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  species  found  within  the  group  of  ante- 
lopes. Starting  soberly  with  the  tiny  spike  of  the  Duiker,  like  the  terminal  half 
of  a  skewer,  straight  and  smooth,  straightway  there  begins,  in  the  Gazelles,  a 
wild  revel  of  annulations,  and  curves,  bends,  twists,  and  spirals  that  soon  be- 
comes fairly  bewildering.  In  our  effort  to  pick  out  types,  and  classify,  we  note 
the  smooth-and-twisted  horns  of  the  Harnessed  Antelopes  and  Elands,  the 
slender-and-ringed  horns  of  the  Gazelles,  the  thick  and  grotesquely  bent  horns 
of  the  Hartebeests,  the  long,  straight,  half-ringed  horns  of  the  Gemsbok,  the 
heavily  ringed  and  semicircular  leopard-stabbers  of  the  Sable  Antelope,  and  the 
grand  spirals  of  the  Kudu,  most  beautiful  and  most  imposing  of  all. 

It  is  an  undeniable  fact — and  there  is  no  good  purpose  to  be  served  either 
in  ignoring  or  denying  it — that  in  America  to-day  there  are  probably  not  more 
than  five  hundred  persons  who  have  had  a  fair  opportunity  to  know  the  extent, 
the  diversity,  and  inherent  zoological  interest  of  the  antelopes  of  Africa,  say- 
ing nothing  of  the  Asiatic  species.  And  is  it  not  a  pity  that  to  the  average 
American — greedy  for  knowledge  of  all  beautiful  or  queer  things,  both  in 
nature  and  in  art — these  splendid  masterpieces  of  Nature's  handiwork 
should  be  almost  as  obscure  and  unknown  as  the  inhabitants  of  Mars.  To-day 
the  partnership  of  steam  and  steel  have  brought  Africa  almost  to  our  door. 
Trains  de  luxe  run  to  Khartum  and  Victoria  Falls.  The  English  are  striving 
hard  to  preserve  from  senseless  slaughter  the  splendid  mammalian  fauna  that 
still  remains  in  East  Central  Africa;  and  it  is  high  time  for  all  persons  who  feel 
an  interest  in  the  wild  creatures  still  surviving  on  this  gun-cursed  globe  to 
take  note  of  the  African  antelopes. 

Regarding  the  horns  of  antelopes  to  be  seen  in  the  "nucleus  collection,"  it 
is  .unnecessary  to  go  far  into  particulars.  The  thirty-five  species  which  make 
up  this  series  have  been  carefully  chosen  to  illustrate,  first  of  all,  the  different 
genera,  and  after  that  the  most  noteworthy  and  characteristic  species.  If  we 
begin  with  the  largest  and  most  conspicuous  species,  our  first  specimen  must 
represent  the  Eland,  giant  of  antelopes.  Its  horns  are  massive,  smooth,  and 


18  The  National  Collection 

strongly  twisted,  but  in  length  not  quite  commensurate  with  the  commanding 
size  of  the  animal.  Were  the  Eland  horned  in  proportion  to. the  Sable  Ante- 
lope, for  example,  its  horns  would  be  seven  feet  long!  Instead  of  that,  how- 
ever, they  rarely  exceed  30  inches ;  but  the  Giant  Eland,  a  species  not  yet  seen 
in  America,  either  alive  or  dead,  is  said  to  possess  horns  that  are  39  inches 
long  and  39  inches  between  tips.  This  species  is  of  rare  occurrence,  and  the 
very  few  specimens  that  have  been  obtained  were  taken  in  Uganda. 

There  are  two  species  of  Kudu  (Plate  V,  Figs.  10  and  3),  the  Greater 
and  Lesser.  From  base  to  tip,  the  horns  of  the  first  are  a  succession  of  beauti- 
ful curves.  Nature  surely  was  in  sportive  mood  when  she  fashioned  their  huge 
open  spirals,  501/;  inches  in  length  on  the  curve,  41  inches  in  a  straight  line 
from  base  to  tip,  and  11  inches  in  basal  circumference.  As  to  annulations, 
they  are  so  free  as  to  be  almost  smooth,  and  the  keel  of  the  front  angle  con- 
tinues well  denned  almost  to  the  tip.  The  horns  of  all  save  a  very  few  African 
antelopes  are  black  throughout.  Those  of  the  Greater  Kudu  are  clear  white 
at  their  tips,  and  dark  brown  or  black  for  the  remainder  of  their  length.  In 
the  opinion  of  the  writer,  horns  of  the  Greater  Kudu  which  have  open  spirals 
and  are  not  too  far  apart  at  the  tips  are  the  most  beautiful  in  form  of  all  horns. 

It  is  a  great  pity  that  the  Kudu  is  now  so  very  rare  that  it  is  seen  in  cap- 
tivity by  comparatively  few  persons.  In  the  zoological  gardens  of  the  world  it 
is  now  almost  non-existent.  It  is  a  short-bodied  animal,  standing  very  high  on 
its  legs,  and  its  horns  give  it  a  most  stately  appearance. 

The  Lesser  Kudu  (Plate  V,  Fig.  3)  is  merely  a  small  understudy  of  the 
preceding  species,  with  horns  scarcely  longer  or  larger  than  those  of  the  Black 
Buck,  of  India. 

The  Harnessed  Antelopes  and  Bushbucks  are  small  creatures  with  horns 
that  in  15  inches  of  length  humbly  suggest  those  of  the  Eland.  But  with  the 
antelopes  of  the  genus  Oryx,  the  case  is  quite  different.  The  head  of  the 
Gemsbok, — Oryx  gazella  (Plate  V,  Fig.  9) — a  beautiful  white  creature  with 
showy  black  markings — is  surmounted  by  two  great,  black  spears  of  bone,  of 
far-reaching  consequence  in  every  duel  with  young  lion,  leopard,  or  wild  dog. 
Those  figured  herewith  are  40  inches  long,  and  practically  straight  from  base 
to  tip.  The  horns  of  the  Beisa  (Plate  V,  Fig.  2)  and  the  Arabian  Beatrix 
also  are  straight,  but  smaller.  Those  of  the  Leucoryx  are  almost  as  long  as 
those  of  the  Gemsbok  (Plate  V,  Fig.  9) ,  and  they  make  a  sweeping  curve 
which  gives  the  animal  its  alternate  name  of  Sabre-Horned  Antelope.  The 
Leucoryx  takes  kindly  to  captivity,  and  the  pair  in  the  New  York  Zoological 
Park  breed  regularly. 


Heads  and  Horn  a 


PLATK 


1  Baker's   Roan   Antelope 

2  Beisa 

3  Lesser  Kudu 

4  Tora    Hartebeest 

5  Lichtenstein's    Hartebeest 


AFRICAN  ANTELOPE 

6*  Springbok 

7  Eland 

8  Harnessed  Antelope 

9  Gemsbok   Oryx 

1 0  Greater   Kudu 

1 1  Brindled  Gnu 


12  Sable  Antelope 

13  Grant's   Gazelle 
14.  Pala 

15  Hunter's   Antelope 

16  Jackson's    Hartebeest 


20  The  National  Collection 

The  Sable  Antelope, — Hippotragus  niger  (Plate  V.  Fig.  12),  is  perhaps 
the  handsomest  of  all  the  African  antelopes.  It  has  high  shoulders,  a  very 
erect  neck,  and  a  glossy-black  body,  emphasized  by  a  few  white  markings.  Its 
horns  sweep  back  in  a  most  graceful  curve,  and  from  the  base  nearly  to  the  tip 
they  are  heavily  ringed.  The  fine  pair  in  this  collection  have  the  unusual 
length  of  411/-;  inches.  After  these,  as  a  sort  of  understudy,  come  the  shorter 
horns  of  Baker's  Roan  Antelope  (Plate  V,  Fig.  1),  a  species  admirably  repre- 
sented by  a  living  pair  in  the  Park. 

The  ten-inch  horns  of  a  Springbok  (Plate  V,  Fig.  6)  recall  the  small 
antelope  that  is  first  seen  by  travelers  in  Cape  Colony.  Its  habit  of  high  leap- 
ing renders  it  especially  conspicuous.  This  is  the  creature  that  once  existed 
in  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  had  the  habit  of  migrating  en  masse,  as  do  the 
caribou  of  the  Canadian  Barren  Grounds.  Xow  it  exists  only  in  very  small 
numbers. 

The  horns  which  represent  Soemmerring's  Gazelle  are  exceptionally  fine, 
being  18  inches  in  length.  They  are  beautifully  formed,  and  their  tips  curve 
inward  until  they  point  directly  toward  each  other. 

Leaving  aside  the  factor  of  size,  a  well-mounted  head  of  Grant's  Gazelle 
is  an  object  of  surpassing  beauty.  The  upward  sweep  of  the  horns  as  they  rise 
from  the  forehead,  24  inches  or  more,  is  an  exquisite  combination  of  grace  and 
symmetry.  It  is  a  pity  that  anything  less  than  the  entire  head  and  neck  of  this 
animal  should  be  taken,  but  at  present  this  collection  contains  only  a  pair  of 
horns. 

The  Defassa  Waterbuck,  (Cobns  de fassa),  without  his  heavily  annulated 
horns  would  lack  dignity,  after  the  manner  of  the  unfortunate  Nilgai  of  India. 
For  so  large  an  animal,  their  length  of  24  ^  inches  (in  this  pair)  is  barely  suf- 
ficient for  show  purposes.  The  Cob  Antelope  is  a  smaller  species,  with  smaller 
horns,  but  anywhere  else  than  in  antelope-surfeited  Africa,  it  would  be  re- 
garded as  a  large  and  important  species,  and  sought  accordingly. 

We  approach  the  Duikers  with  diffidence.  They  are  very  small,  very 
plain  looking,  their  salient  characters  are  few,  and  their  horns  are  about  as 
diversified  and  exciting  as  an  assortment  of  toothpicks.  Whenever  a  collector 
of  heads  and  horns  comes  down  to  the  Duikers,  know  for  a  verity  that  his  inter- 
est in  the  African  Antelopes  is  genuine  and  deeply  rooted.  But  even  then,  the 
man  does  not  live  who  can  find  lively  entertainment  in  Klipspringer  horns  of 
3%  inches,  in  Steinbock  horns  of  4%  inches,  or  horns  of  Royal  Antelope  (with 
apologies  to  real  royalty,  everywhere) ,  only  21/!  inches  from  base  to  tip.  Kirk's 


Heads  and  Ilorux  21 

Dik-l)ik  is  protected  by  tiny  spikes  of  2%  inches.  The  Grysbok's  horns  run 
up  to  3\-2  inches,  and  the  Black  Wood  Duiker  and  Wood  Antelope  each  boast 
4-inch  horns. 

Livingstone's  Suni  Antelope  also  is  a  tiny  short-horn  (SV-j  inches) ,  but  it  is 
so  very  rare  it  easily  claims  special  attention.  While  the  horns  of  all  the  other 
.small  species  mentioned  above  are  practically  smooth,  those  of  Livingstone's 
Suni  are  very  heavily  ringed,  quite  to  their  tips,  as  if  they  had  been  turned  in  a 
lathe.  There  are  only  fifteen  other  pairs  on  record,  and  the  longest  measures 
under  5  inches. 

A  pair  of  horns  of  the  White-Bearded  Gnu  (Plate  V,  Fig.  11)  represents 
a  genus  of  African  antelopes  almost  as  odd  in  form  as  the  okapi.  On  no 
other  living  creature  can  be  found  such  a  nose  and  such  hips  as  those  of  a  Gnu. 
Fortunately  both  the  existing  species  take  kindly  to  captivity,  and  a  pair  of 
each  is  living  contentedly  in  the  Zoological  Park.  Horns  of  the  White- 
Tailed  Gnu  are  more  rare  in  collections  than  those  of  the  other  species,  and 
in  South  Africa  absurdly  high  prices  are  asked  for  them. 

The  horns  of  the  Hartebeests  (Plate  V,  Figs.  5  and  16)  are  nothing  less 
than  grotesque.  They  suggest  broken  backs  and  arrested  development.  At  the 
base,  they  start  out  from  the  longest  and  thinnest  of  ungulate  skulls  with  size 
sufficient  to  carry  them  four  or  five  feet.  But  early  in  life  they  change  their 
course  suddenly  and  curve  forward,  spreading  as  they  go.  Very  soon,  however, 
the  Hartebeest  says,  "No,  that  will  not  do,  either!"  Abruptly  and  resolutely 
they  now  bend  sharply  back  again,  and  point  out  in  new  lines,  aiming  almost 
anywhere.  Presently  complete  discouragement  settles  down  like  a  pall,  the  once 
ambitious  growth  is  hastily  rounded  up  and  terminated — and  that  is  all.  Re- 
gretfully we  look  upon  the  horns  of  a  Hartebeest,  of  standard  form,  and  think 
what  it  might  have  been  but  for  the  vascillation  and  misdirection  that  left  it  an 
ugly,  misshapen  thing.  The  skull,  however,  is  interesting  as  showing  the  ex- 
treme length  and  narrowness  a  ruminant  skull  can  attain  without  complete  seg- 
mentation. 

THE    BISON    AND    BUFFALOES 

Most  ponderous  of  all  horned  ungulates,  yet  in  my  opinion  the  easiest  for 
the  inexperienced  sportsman  to  vanquish,  are  the  Bison,  Buffaloes,  and  Wild 
Cattle.  Asia  possesses  the  great  Ami,  or  Indian  Buffalo,  the  Gaur,  the  Yak, 
and  the  Gayal.  Europe  has  the  European  Bison ;  Africa  the  Abyssinian  Buf- 
falo, Cape  Buffalo,  Senegambian,  Tchad,  and  Congo  Buffaloes,  and  North 


22 


The  National  Collection 


America  the  American  Bison  and  Musk-Ox.     Considered  alive,  as  zoological- 
garden  specimens,  they  are  like  gold,— 

"Heavy  to  get,  and  hard  to  hold." 

And  this  accounts  for  the  great  rarity  of  collections  which  contain  living- 
examples  of  even  one-half  the  species  named  ahove. 


HORNS   OF   AMEKICAX    BISOX 


A  scries  showing  progress  from  the  yearling  bull  to  the  twenty-year-old  "stub-horn" 
bull.     Collected  on  the  Montana  buffalo  range  in  1886,  by  W.  T.  H. 


Starting  with  the  species  nearest  home,  the  American  Bison  is  repre- 
sented in  the  collection  now  under  consideration  by  a  carefully  selected  series 
of  twelve  pairs  of  horns  (Figs.  2  to  13,  inclusive),  representing  .all  life  periods 
of  the  male  between  the  yearling  and  the  aged  "stub-horn  bull."  All  these  ai'e 
from  wild  animals,  and  have  been  in  the  writer's  possession  for  twenty-one 
years,  awaiting  such  an  occasion  as  the  present.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to 


Heads  and  Horns 


PI..VII.  VI 


1  Guar 

2  Senegambiaii   Buffalo 

3  Cape   Buffalo,    female 


BUFFALOES,  BISON,  AX1)  MUSK-OX 

1     Congo    Buffalo 
5      Musk-Ox,    female 


6  Abyssinian    Buffalo 

7  •  Cape    Buffalo,    male 

8  Indian    Buffalo 


_>4  The  National  Collection 

secure  the  largest  horns,  and  the  series  is  of  zoological  value  only.  We  fear 
that  it  will  be  long  ere  a  similar  series  can  be  brought  together  from  wild 
sources. 

Unfortunately,  the  horns  of  our  Bison  are  its  least  imposing  feature.  On 
a  head  which  is  in  good  pelage,  and  possessed  of  all  the  hair  which  Xature  gave 
it,  only  the  terminal  half  of  each  horn  is  visible;  and  any  head  which  makes  a 
strong  showing  of  horns  does  so  at  the  expense  of  the  long  and  shaggy  front- 
let— often  a  foot  in  length — which  is  literally  the  crowning  glory  of  a  Buffalo 
bull. 

The  Musk-Ox  is  represented  by  a  very  large  skull,  with  horns  much  worn 
on  the  tips,  of  Oribos  icardi,  from  Franz  Josef  Fiord,  east  coast  of  Greenland. 
There  is  also  a  smaller  but  very  perfect  skull  and  horns  from  Ellesmere  Land 
(Plate  VI,  Fig.  5).  Neither  of  these  specimens,  however,  fitly  represents  the 
species  and  both  must  as  soon  as  possible  lie  replaced  by  finer  examples. 

The  Gaur,  or  Indian  Bison  (Plate  VI,  Fig.  1),  is  represented  by  a  very 
good  pair  of  horns  26^4  inches  in  length,  spreading  31  ^  inches,  with  a  dis- 
tance between  tips  of  141 2  inches.  It  is  really  a  pity  that  an  animal  of  such 
grand  bulk  should  have  no  pelage  to  speak  of.  and  be  finished  off  with  horns 
which  in  size  narrowly  escape  downright  insignificance.  In  looking  over  a  wild 
herd  for  the  largest  bull,  it  is  not  easy  to  pick  out  the  largest  pair  of  horns :  but 
in  thick  jungle,  the  whiteness  of  a  bison's  horns  are  a  great  aid  in  making  out 
the  position  of  their  wearer. 

The  wild  Buffalo  of  India,  called  the  Arna  (Plate  VI,  Fig.  8).  is  far 
better  equipped.  His  horns  are  shiny  black,  conspicuously  flattened  on  their 
upper  surface,  and  their  wide  spread  is  very  striking.  In  the  British  Museum 
of  Natural  History  there  is  a  pair  which  seem  to  have  a  spread  of  at  least 
scrcn  feet.'  The  longest  horn  has  a  length  on  the  curve  of  773s  inches. 

Beside  such  a  giant  pair  as  that — the  largest  known — the  specimen  in  the 
"nucleus  collection."  with  a  spread  of  56  inches,  seems  small:  but  there  are 
many  hanging  that  are  smaller.  It  is  worth  while  to  note  that  the  Arna  is  the 
progenitor  of  the  race  of  domestic  Buffaloes  in  use  in  India  and  farther  east. 
The  former  is  now  rare,  and  is  only  to  be  obtained  by  diligent  search.  The 
"Indian"  Buffaloes  seen  in  captivity  in  this  country  usually  are  of  the  do- 
mestic breed.  The  wild  animal  always  is  black,  both  as  to  skin  and  horns,  but 
its  pelage  is  too  scanty  to  be  noticed.  The  domestic  animal  is  the  least  beautiful 
of  all  bovine  animals. 

In  eastern  Africa  there  are  two  species  of  Buffaloes,  which  may  instantly 


Heads  and  Horns  25 

be  distinguished  by  their  horns.  The  horns  of  the  Abyssinian  Buffalo, — Bos 
eqiiinoctialis  (Plate  VI,  Fig.  6) ,  are  strongly  flattened  on  top,  and  as  they  leave 
the  head  they  do  not  drop  as  low  as  those  of  the  Cape  Buffalo.  In  bulk,  this 
spec-ies  is  big  and  burly,  and  quite  like  the  better-known  species  of  the  South. 
The  pair  of  horns  in  the  collection  spread  33:i  i  inches.  They  are  quite  flat  on 
the  upper  surface  of  the  basal  half,  and  at  their  widest  point  each  horn  meas- 
ures QVi  inches  across,  in  a  straight  line. 

The  horns  of  the  Cape  Buffalo,— Bo*  caffer  (Plate  VI,  Figs.  3  and  7) 
are  rounded  on  their  upper  surface,  and  drop  lower  and  spread  much  more 
widely  than  those  of  the  Abyssinian  species.  Like  the  horns  of  the  musk-ox, 
their  bases  are  very  wide  across,  they  grow  very  close  together,  and  drop 
abruptly  from  the  top  of  the  skull.  Our  pair  are  exactly  equal  in  length  on 
curve  and  in  spread — 38  inches;  and  the  width  across  the  base  is  9  inches. 

Like  all  the  true  Buffaloes,  both  the  East  African  species  are  almost  desti- 
tute of  hair,  a  fact  which  seriously  detracts  from  the  appearance  of  mounted 
heads.  A  land  mammal  which  is  hairless,  or  nearly  so,  should  be  covered  with 
compensatory  scales,  like  the  pangolin. 

The  Senegambian  (Plate  VI,  Fig.  2)  and  Congo  Buffaloes  (Plate  VI, 
Fig.  4),  of  West  Africa,  are  small  species  with  horns  of  a  totally  different 
type  from  the  Buffaloes  of  India  and  eastern  Africa.  Both  these  odd-looking, 
short-horned  species  are  represented  in  the  collection.  Two  other  species  once 
in  the  collection,  the  wild  Yak  and  the  Banting,  were  lost  by  exchange,  and 
never  recovered.  Thus  far  good  horns  of  the  Gayal  have  been  sought  in  vain, 
but  it  is  hoped  that  the  lines  now  out  in  Burma  will  yield  them. 

THE    DEER    FAMILY 

Where  is  the  big-game  sportsman  or  mammalogist,  young  or  old,  who  is 
not  keenly  interested  in  one  or  more  members  of  the  Deer  Family!  Hunt  where 
you  will — outside  of  Africa,  Australia,  and  Polynesia — and  if  there  remains  big 
game  of  any  species,  you  surely  will  find  some  species  of  deer.  Even  the 
African  antelopes  do  not  embrace  as  wide  a  range  of  variations  as  we  find 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  Cervidae.  Consider  the  zoological  family  which 
includes  the  colossal  Moose,  the  cold-defying  Caribou,  the  host  of  round- 
horned  deer,  and  the  tiny  hornless  deer  of  the  East  Indies,  no  larger  than  a 
rabbit.  One  of  the  most  difficult  tasks  in  forming  the  animal  collections  of 
the  New  York  Zoological  Park  has  been  to  bring  together  in  one  group  rep- 
resentatives of  eight  very  important  but  little  known  species  of  Asia. 


The  National  Collection 

It  would  have  been  easy  to  have  devoted  my  first  efforts  with  horns  of  the 
Deer  Family  to  Xorth  American  species,  especially  the  Moose;  but  I  elected 
to  give  precedence  to  the  rare  and  little  known  foreign  species,  especially  those 
of  Asia.  The  result  thus  far  is  a  list  of  Asiatic  species  which  may  justly  be 
surveyed  with  a  feeling  akin  to  satisfaction.  The  horn  collections  which  con- 
tain specimens  of  Pere  David's  Deer,  Schomburgk's,  Eld's,  the  Altai  Wapiti, 
Pekin  Sika  Deer,  the  Marsh  Deer,  Guemal  and  Philippine  Deer,  are  not 
numerous.  In  fact,  I  know  of  only  one  other  in  America  which  possesses  all 
the  species  named  above — that  of  Mr.  Robert  Gilfort,  of  Orange,  X.  J. 
Mr.  Gilfort  has  collected  with  a  keenness  of  zoological  perception  and  a  devo- 
tion to  scientific  completeness  that  is  most  praiseworthy.  As  a  result,  his  col- 
lection is  now  very  rich  in  species,  and  highly  valuable. 

Of  the  thirty-one  species  of  the  Deer  Family  represented  in  the  writer's 
collection,  it  is  possible  to  mention  here  only  a  few  of  the  most  interesting. 

There  are  no  horns  of  American  Moose  (or  "Elk"  of  European  authors) , 
but  in  lieu  thereof  we  have  horns  of  two  Old  World  species,  the  European 
Moose, — Alces  machlis  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  4),  and  still  more  important,  the  rare 
and  new  East  Siberian  Moose, — Alces  machlis  bed fordiae  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  1). 
The  antlers  of  the  latter  species  develop  no  palination  ichatcrer,  and  in  size  and 
general  appearance  they  strongly  resemble  the  baby  antlers  of  a  three-year- 
old  American  Moose.  It  seems  as  if  bedfordiae  is  the  parent  stock  of  the  Euro- 
pean Moose,  going  westward,  and  the  American  Moose,  trending  eastward. 

The  most  gigantic,  aye,  even  magnificent,  of  all  head  weapons  now  car- 
ried by  four-footed  game  are  the  antlers  of  the  adult  bull  Moose  of  Alaska. 
Attaining  a  maximum  spread  of  nearly  seven  feet  (78V-2  inches),  a  weight  of 
92  pounds,  and  a  shovel-width  of  18  inches,  they  fairly  "stagger  the  imagina- 
tion." Even  of  all  known  fossil  animals,  the  so-called  Irish  elk,  which  in 
reality  was  a  species  related  to  the  fallow  deer,  was  the  only  one  with  antlers 
or  horns  surpassing  those  of  the  Alaskan  Moose.  Nature  was  a  million  years 
or  more  in  fashioning  Alces  americanus;  and  is  it  not  saddening  that  despite  the 
Alaskan  game  law — as  strong  a  measure  as  its  originators  dared  submit  to  Con- 
gress— that  grand  species  is  now  being  ruthlessly  slaughtered  to  feed  railway 
laborers  and  miners,  and  idle  Indians!  The  Indian  epicures  prefer  cow  Moose, 
because  their  flesh  is  more  tender  and  delicate  than  that  of  bulls.  The  inhabitants 
of  Alaska  seem  determined  that  the  big  game  of  that  territory  shall  be  wiped 
out;  and  in  the  absence  of  paid  game  wardens  and  actual  protection,  the  end 
seems  very  near.  In  Alaska  we  are  now  face  to  face  with  this  question:  Is  it 


Heads  and  Horn* 


PLATE  VII 


1  Siberian  Moose 

2  Kenai    Caribou 


MOOSE  AND  CARIBOU 


3  Greenland    Caribou 

4  European    Moose 


28  The  National  Collection 

possible  for  the  people  of  the  United  States  to  protect  the  game  of  Alaska 
against  -he  resident.-  of  the  territory  who  are  determined  to  annihilate  it? 

In  New  Brunswick  the  Moose  will  survive.  Thanks  to  efficient  protection 
— by  the  residents  themselves — the  Moose  are  rapidly  increasing;  but  the  con- 
tinuous killing  of  the  adult  bulls  is  almost  certain  to  reduce  the  size  of  the 
individuals  of  succeeding  generations. 

The  Moose  of  Scandinavia  is  a  much  smaller  animal  than  its  American 
congener,  and  its  antlers  also  are  proportionately  less.  The  widest  pair  re- 
corded in  Mr.  Ward's  "Records"  have  a  spread  of  52  inches  only,  and  the 
breadth  of  the  "palmation"  is  only  9  inches.  The  pair  in  the  "nucleus  collec- 
tion" spread  45  inches;  they  are  31  Va  inches  in  length,  29V»  inches  between 
tips,  and  the  width  of  palmation  is  9  inches.  If  entered  in  the  list  of  eighteen 
for  the  world,  they  would  be  number  seven.  The  greatest  known  width  of 
palmation  is  I5V-1  inches,  and  there  are  five  other  specimens  which  exceed  10 
inches.  Of  the  record  antlers  of  Alaskan  Moose,  the  greatest  palmation  is  24 
inches,  while  others  are  23,  21,  and  18  inches. 

In  size  the  Alaskan  Moose  is  to  that  of  Europe  as  the  Woodland  Caribou 
of  Alaska  is  to  the  Lapland  Reindeer.  The  Caribou  of  the  Kenai  Peninsula, 
and  southward  thereof  to  the  Cassiar  Mountains,  are  the  giants  of  their  genus; 
and  of  those  it  is  safe  to  say  that  very  few,  if  any,  larger  antlers  ever  have  come 
out  of  Alaska  than  the  huge  pair  in  the  writer's  collection  (Plate  VII,  Fig. 
2).  They  came  from  the  Kenai  Peninsula,  and  in  Mr.  Rowland  Ward's  list* 
of  seventy  of  the  largest  Rangifer  antlers  known  to  him  throughout  the  world 
this  pair  stands  number  two.  They  are  distinguished  by  their  massiveness  and 
weight,  quite  as  much  as  by  their  great  length.  The  measurements  in  detail 
are  as  follows: 

Length  of  right  antler,  on  outside  curve SS^A  inches 

Widest  outside  spread 39V2  inches 

Circumference  above  brow  tine 8%  inches 

Points,  24+16.     Weight,  fully  dry,  33  pounds. 

Of  the  Greenland  Caribou, — Rangifer  groenlandicus  (Plate  VII,  Fig.  3) , 
the  collection  contains  a  specimen  which  for  length  is  very  good.  It  ranks  as 
number  sixteen  in  Mr.  Ward's  list  of  seventy  of  the  largest  of  all  species.  Its 
extremejength  is  52  inches,  but  like  most  very  long  antlers  of  Caribou,  the 

•"Records  of  Big  Game,"  fifth  edition,   1906,  page  5. 


Heads  and  Horn  ft 

main  beams  are  slender,  measuring  only  5'/i>  inches  in  circumference  above  the 
brow  tine.  The  extreme  outside  spread  is  39'/t>  incht  ,  niiJ  the  |.  mils  are 
10+11. 

In  the  National  Collection  the  round-horned  deer  are  strongly  repre- 
sented. While  the  common  and  easily-accessible  species  have  not  as  yet  been 
diligently  sought,  and  several  of  them  are  to-day  absent,  in  the  rare  and  little 
known  species  the  collection  is  reasonably  well  provided.  It  is  possible  to  men- 
tion here  only  those  of  special  scientific  interest,  and  this  will  be  done  without 
reference  to  their  zoological  sequence. 

Of  all  deer  antlers,  the  rarest  and  the  most  eagerly  sought  by  those  who 
collect  on  zoological  lines  are  those  of  the  well-nigh  extinct  Pere  David's  Deer, 
formerly  of  China,  but  now  of  zoological  gardens  only.  There  are  to-day  pre- 
cisely twenty-eight  living  specimens  between  Elaphurus  davidianus  (Plate 
VIII,  Fig.  10),  and  total  extinction.  The  herd  of  about  two  hundred  head 
formerly  maintained  in  the  Imperial  Park  south  of  Pekin  was  totally  de- 
stroyed during  the  Boxer  war.  In  China,  not  even  one  living  specimen  exists 
to-day;  but  in  Japan  there  are  three  or  four  individuals.  On  three  voyages 
Captain  Thomas  Golding  searched  diligently  through  the  seaports  of  China, 
distributing  pictures,  but  failed  to  find  even  one  pair  of  antlers.  Judging  \>\ 
one  of  the  rare  occasions  wherein  a  pair  of  antlers  of  David's  Deer  have 
changed  hands  for  a  definite  consideration,  the  pair  now  contained  in  the 
nucleus  collection  is  worth  $400.  The  only  other  pair  in  America  is  in  the  col- 
lection of  Mr.  Robert  Gilfort,  where  they  are  beyond  the  reach  of  purchase 
money. 

David's  Deer,  formerly  a  habitant  of  northern  Manchuria,  is  a  queer  look- 
ing animal.  It  is  about  the  size  of  the  English  red  deer.  It  has  a  long  tail,  and 
its  antlers  are  built  in  reverse  order.  The  main  beam  quickly  bifurcates  into  a 
single  tall  stem  which  grows  nearly  upright,  and  another  strong  beam  which 
thrusts  out  toward  the  front,  and  again  bifurcates,  half  way  out,  into  two  long 
and  strong  tines,  like  a  wooden  pitchfork.  The  length  of  the  main  beam  is  31 
inches,  and  its  circumference  above  the  burr  is  6  inches.  Each  antler  has  three 
points.  In  Mr.  Ward's  list  of  only  eleven  recorded  pairs  of  antlers  of  this 
species,  the  pair  now  transferred  to  the  National  Collection  is  number  three. 
Five  of  the  eleven  pairs  are  in  the  collection  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford. 

Of  the  horns  of  large  and  important  species  of  round-horned  deer,  the 
next  in  rarity  is  unquestionably  Schomburgk's  Deer  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  3),  of 
northern  Siam.  Mr.  Ward  records  only  seven  specimens,  and  had  mine  been 


ead*  and  Horns 


PLAIZ  V  1  1  1 


1     Japanese   Sika    Deer 

i     Siberian  Roe 

3     Sehomburgk  s   Deer 


ROUND-HORNED  DEKR 

4  Hog  Deer 

5  Luzon  Sambar 

6  Barasinga    Deer 
I 


8  Malar    Sambar 

9  Altai"  Wapiti 
10     David's  Deer 


Heads  and  Horns  :< 

ivceivcd  in  time  for  entry  in  its  proper  place,  it  would  have  been  number  two 
in  a  total  of  eight.  The  antlers  of  this  speeies  (C'crrntt  schomburgki)  are  the 
most  numerously  branched  of  all  antlers  possessed  by  living  deer.  They  go 
far  beyond  the  double  bifurcation  of  the  antlers  of  our  Mule  Deer,  and  in 
general  effect  they  are  decidedly  tree-like.  They  remind  one  of  the  branches 
of  an  English  oak  in  winter.  The  brow  tine  is  long  and  elk-like. 

The  fine  pair  of  antlers  in  this  collection  have  a  length  on  the  outside  curve 
of  :50'j  inches,  with  10  points  on  the  right  and  12  on  the  left.  Each  antler 
branches  xeren  I  i  in  ex,  and  the  tree-top  effect  is  very  marked.  They  are  massive 
and  heavy,  but  the  shoulder  height  accredited  to  the  adult  animal  is  the  same  as 
that  of  our  mule  deer — 41  inches.  These  antlers  were  obtained  through  the 
visit  of  a  friend  to  Siam.  bearing  a  special  request  for  such  a  specimen. 

The  antlers  of  the  Thameng,  or  Eld's  Deer  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  7),  of 
Burma,  are  more  common.  Occasionally  they  can  be  purchased  in  New  York 
of  Mr.  Fred.  Sauter;  but  they  are  so  odd  in  form  they  are  quite  as  interesting 
as  if  they  were  more  difficult  to  obtain.  In  form,  the  main  beam  and  the  ex- 
tremely long  brow  tine — taken  together — describe  an  almost  complete  semi- 
circle. The  animal  itself  is  no  larger  than  a  fallow  deer,  and  in  proportion 
to  its  size  its  antlers  are  the  largest  of  all  the  deer.  Four  living  specimens 
may  now  be  seen  in  the  Zoological  Park,  and  very  shortly  there  will  be  others. 

How  many  persons  are  there  in  North  America  who  could  write  one  thou- 
sand words  regarding  the  deer  of  South  America  as  a  group?  Possibly 
twenty-five ;  but  probably  no  more.  And,  yet,  the  Cervidae  of  South  America 
are  well  worth  knowing.  Thus  far  two  representative  species,  the  large  Marsh 
Deer  and  the  small  Swamp  Deer,  have  been  brought  alive  to  New  York  and 
exhibited  in  the  Zoological  Park.  Unfortunately,  both  those  species  by  na- 
ture are  ill-adapted  to  life  in  captivity,  and  they  do  not  long  survive. 

A  fine  pair  of  antlers  of  the  Marsh  Deer,  received  from  Argentina,  ade- 
quately represent  that  interesting  species.  In  form  they  are  absolutely  peculiar, 
i.  e.,  unlike  all  other  antlers  of  deer.  The  antlers  of  the  Chilian  Guemal  are 
only  4r>8  inches  in  length. 

Of  the  Wapiti  group  of  round-horned  deer,  the  collection  includes  three 
specimens  which,  taken  together,  make  an  important  series.  The  first  in  inter- 
est is  a  very  large  pair  representing  the  Altai  Wapiti  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  9), 
of  central  Asia.  In  size,  in  form,  and  general  appearance  they  are  so  perfect 
a  counterfeit  of  the  head  weapons  of  our  own  Wapiti,  or  American  Elk,  that 
no  observer  has  ever  detected  their  identity!  There  are  absolutely  no  points  of 


The  National  Collection 

ifference  which  have  as  yet  been  discovered,  save  that  they  are  somewhat 
mailer  than  the  largest  antlers  of  the  Genus  canadensis.  The  Altai  and  the 
Wyoming  species  are  seven  thousand  miles  apart,  the  latter  finding  its  farthest 
north  on  Vancouver  Island,  and  the  twin-like  relationship  between  the  two 
species — or  whatever  their  exact  status  may  be — is  one  of  the  most  surprising 
facts  connected  with  the  genus  Cercus.  It  appears  absolutely  certain  that  the 
ancestors  of  the  American  Elk  came  hither  from  western  Mongolia,  via 
Bering  Strait.  After  the  migration  the  chain  parted  in  the  middle,  and  the  two 
groups  drifted  seven  thousand  miles  apart.  By  a  queer  turn  of  fortune,  the 
Russo-Japanese  storm-cloud,  when  just  about  to  burst,  blew7  to  me  for  this  col- 
lection, from  Vladivostok,  a  pair  of  antlers  which  represent  a  small  intermedi- 
ate species,  Luehdorf 's  Manchurian  Wapiti.  Considering  its  position  midway 
between  the  two  great  Wapiti  of  Central  Asia  and  the  United  States,  they 
are  very  interesting  and  valuable. 

The  measurements  of  the  three  specimens  referred  to  above  surely  will  in- 
terest those  who  are  specially  interested  in  the  Wapiti  group : 

Altai  Wyoming  Luehdorf's 

Wapiti*  Wapiti  Wapiti 

Length  on  outside  curve 53  58  38V2 

Circumference  above  burr 9  10  7% 

Tines    6+8  7+7  6+6 

The  collection  contains  horns  varying  from  good  to  fine  of  the  Indian 
Sambar,  Barasinga  Deer  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  6),  Javan  Rusa,  Siberian 
Roe  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  2),  Hog  Deer  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  4),  Luzon  Sambar 
Deer  (Plate  VIII,  Fig.  5),  Sika  of  Japan,  a  number  from  Mexico  and  Cen- 
tral America,  and,  last  and  least  of  all  branched  antlers,  a  pair  from  the  rare 
Chilian  Guemal,  only  SVs  inches  in  length.  A  few  of  the  above  are  so  much 
below  first-class  size  that  they  must  be  replaced  by  larger  and  more  representa- 
tive specimens  just  as  soon  as  better  specimens  become  available.  A  list  of  the 
species  represented  in  the  collection  transferred  to  the  Zoological  Society  is  ap- 
pended hereunto. 

NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK, 
FEBRUARY  1, 1907. 

*No.  27,  in  Mr.  Rowland  Ward's  list  of  76.     See  "  Records  of  Big  Game,"  fifth  edition,  1906,  page  55. 


THE  WORLD'S  RECORD  ELEPHANT  TUSKS 

TIIK  recent  studies  by  Professor  Henry  Fairfield  Osborn  of  the  extinct 
elephants,  in  the  course  of  which  he  has  brought  together  a  collection  of 
commanding  importance,  have  attracted  from  paleontologists  and  others 
an  unusual  amount  of  attention.    The  magnificent  skeleton  of  the  Columbian 
mammoth,  which  now  dominates  the  main  hall  of  vertebrate  paleontology  in 
the    American    Museum,   certainly    is    one    of    the    most,  remarkable    of    all 
museum  specimens  of  proboscidians. 

Through  Mr.  Charles  T.  Barney,  the  Zoological  Society  has  recently 
received,  as  a  gift  from  him,  the  most  remarkable  pair  of  "living"  elephant 
tusks  of  which  the  modern  world  ever  has  known.  When  the  existence  of  this 
gigantic  pair  was  first  made  known  to  us,  their  stated  length  seemed  incred- 
ible; and  as  the  tusks  stand  to-day  in  the  Zoological  Park,  every  person  who 
sees  them  for  the  first  time,  and  without  previous  knowledge,  finds  it  difficult 
to  believe  that  they  have  not  come  from  an  extinct  mammoth  of  gigantic  size. 

Our  frontispiece  represents  the  pair  of  tusks  of  a  living  species  of  East 
African  elephant,  which  arrived  at  the  Zoological  Park  on  February  4th, 
1907,  from  Abyssinia,  via  London.  The  left  tusk,  as  seen  in  Plate  I,  measures 
on  the  curve  11  feet  o1/^  inches;  the  other  measures  11  feet,  and  the  net  weight 
of  the  two  is  293  pounds.  The  longest  tusk  exceeds  by  one  inch  the  length  of 
the  longest  tusk  of  the  great  Columbian  mammoth  (Elephas  columbi)  in  the 
American  Museum,  and  it  is  1  foot  1^2  inches  longer  than  the  next  longest  tusk 
of  an  African  elephant.  The  circumference  of  the  largest  tusk  of  the  pair 
shown  is  18V1>  inches. 

Usually  a  very  large  "living"  elephant  tusk  is  very  thick  and  rather 
straight.  One  of  the  finest  features  of  this  matchless  pair  is  their  symmetry 
and  their  beautiful  curvature.  In  leaving  the  skull  they  curved  outward,  side- 
wise,  then  when  the  coast  was  clear,  curved  upward  in  a  commanding  sweep.  In 
making  the  photograph  which  is  reproduced  as  Plate  I,  the  man,  introduced 
for  the  sake  of  comparison,  was  5  feet  9  inches  in  height  to  the  top  of  his  cap, 
and  he  stood  actually  between  the  rear  curves  of  the  tusks. 


The  National  Collection 

It  is  reported  that  these  tusks  recently  were  owned  by  King  Menelek, 
"  Abyssinia,  and  that  he  presented  them  to  a  European  political  officer. 
Eventually  they  were  offered  for  sale  in  the  London  ivory  market,  and  were 
bought  by  Mr.  Rowland  Ward,  from  whom  they  were  purchased  by  order  of 
Mr.  Barney.  They  now  form  a  part  of  the  National  Collection  of  Heads 
and  Horns,  and  as  soon  as  practicable  will  be  exhibited  in  the  Zoological 
Park. 

So  far  as  we  know,  these  are  the  longest  tusks  ever  produced  by  a  living 
species  of  elephant ;  and  the  chances  are,  as  a  hundred  thousand  to  one,  that  they 
never  will  be  surpassed.  W.  T.  H. 


A  LIST  OF  HEADS,  HORNS,  AND  TUSKS 

PRESENTED   TO   THE   NEW   YORK   ZOOLOGICAL    SOCIKTV 

BY  W.  T.  IIORNADAY,  AS  THE  NUCLEUS  OF 

A  NATIONAL  COLLECTION* 

15ISON.    BUFFALOES,  AM)   OTHERS 

GENUS  HON. 

THE  GAUR:  INDIAN  BISON. — Bos  gaums.  [Plate  VI,  Fig.  1.] 

AMERICAN  BISON. — B.  americanus.  [Vigs.  2   to   13   inclusive,  page  22.] 

A  scries  of  fourteen  pairs  of  horns,  from  wild  bison  only,  including  two 
female  skulls  and  twelve  pairs  of  male    horns   of   various    ages    from    two 
years  to  twenty. 
CAPE  AFRICAN   BUFFALO. — B.  coffer.  [Plate  VI,  Figs.  3  and  7.] 

Male  horns;  skull  and  horns  of  female. 

ABYSSINIAN  BITFFALO. — B.  equiiioctialis.  [Plate  VI,  Fig.  6'.] 

SENEGAMBIAN  BUFFALO. — B.  planiceros.  [Plate  VI,  Fig.  2.] 

CONGO  BUFFALO. — B.  nanus.  [Plate  VI,  Fig.  •!.] 

INDIAN  BUFFALO. — B.  bubalis.  [Plate  VI,  Fig.  8.] 

GENUS  OJ'IBOS. 

BARREN-GROUND   MusK-Ox. — Ovibos  moscliatits.     Skull  and  horns.     [Plate  VI,  Fig.  !>.] 
WARD'S  GREENLAND  MusK-Ox. — 0.  tvardi.     Skull  and  horns. 

MOUNTAIN  SHEEP 

GKNUS  Or  IK. 

SIBERIAN  ARGALI. — Ovis  ammon.    Male  and  female  skulls,  with  horns.  [Plate  II.] 

LITTLEDALE'S  SHEEP. — 0.  siarensis.     Skull  and  horns.  [Plate  III,  Fig.  5.] 

MARCO  POLO  SHEEP. — 0.  poll.     Ram  three  years  old. 

THIAN  SHAN  POLO  SHEEP. — O.  karclini.   Skull  and  horns.  [Plate  III,  Fig.  6.] 

ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  BIO-HORN. — O.  canadensis.     Head. 

ROCKY  MOUNTAIN   Bio-HoRN. — 0.  canadensis.     Fighting  horns. 

ROCKY   MOUNTAIN   Bio-HoRN. — O.  canadvnsis.     Weathered  horns. 

ROCKY  MOUNTAIN   BIG-HORN. — 0.  canadensis.     Polished  horn. 

ROCKY   MOUNTAIN   Bic-HoRN. — O.   canadensis.     Female  horns. 

ROCKY   MOUNTAIN   BIG-HORN. — 0.  canadensis. 

BLACK  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  stonei.   Head.  [Plate  III,  Fig.  4.] 

BLACK  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — 0.  stonei.     Skull  and  horns. 

FANNIN'S     SADDLE-BACKED     SHEEP. — O.    fannini.      Female   skull   and   horns. 

WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — 0.  dalli.     Head.  [Plate  III,  Fig.  1.] 

KAMCHATKAN   SHEEP. — 0.    nivicola.      Head. 

AOUDAD. — O.  tragelaphus.  [Plate  III,  Fig.  2.] 

BURRHEL.— 0.  nahura.  [Plate  III,  Fig.  3.] 

DOMESTIC  SHEEP. — 0.  aries.     Horns  making  two  complete  circles. 


*The  collection  contains  131  specimens  representing  108  species. 


3v  The  National  Collection 

WILD  GOATS,  IBEXES,  AND  OTHERS 

GENUS  CAPRA. 

PERSIAN  WILD  GOAT. — Capra  hircus  egagrus.  [Plate  IV,  Fig.  4.] 

NUBIAN  IBEX. — C.  nubiana.  [Plate  IV,  Fig.  2.] 

SIBERIAN   IBEX. — C.  sibirica.     Skull  and   horns.  |  Plate  IV,  Fig.   1.] 

SIBERIAN    IBEX? — C.    sibirica    var.? — Skull   and   horns.  (Unidentified.) 

[Plate  IV,  Fig.  3.] 

SULEIMAN  MARKHOR. — C.  jerdoni.     Skull  and  horns.  [Plate  IV,  Fig.  5.] 

GENUS  OREAMNOS. 

ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  GOAT. — Oreumnos  montanus.     Head. 

GENUS  RUPICAPRA. 

CHAMOIS. — Rupicapra  tragus. 

GENUS  BUDORCAS. 

TAKIN. — Budorcas  taxicolor.  [Plate  IV,  Fig.  6.] 

ANTELOPES 

GENUS  BUBALIS. 

TORA  HARTEBEEST. — Bubalis  tora.  [Plate  V,  Fig.  4.] 

SWAYNE'S   HARTEBEEST. — B.   srvaynei. 

JACKSON'S  HARTEBEEST. — B.  jacksoni.  [Plate  V,  Fig.   16'.] 

LICHTENSTEIN'S  HARTEBEEST. — B.  lichtensteini.  [Plate  5,  Fig.  5.] 

GENUS  DAMALISCUS. 

HUNTER'S  HARTEBEEST. — Damaliscus  hunteri.  [Plate  V,  Fig.    15.] 

BONTEBOK. — D.  pygargus. 
BLESBOK. — D.  albifrons. 

GENUS  CONNOCHETES. 

WHITE-BEARDED    GNU. — Connochetes    taurinus.  [Plate  V,  Fig.   11.] 

GENUS  CEPHALOPHUS. 

PHILENTOMBA  DUIKER. — Cephalophus  maxwelli. 
ABYSSINIAN  DUIKER. — C.  abyssinicus. 
YELLOW-BACKED  DUIKER. — C.  sylvicultrLr. 
BLACK  WOOD  DUIKER. — C.  j'entinki. 

GENUS  RAPHICERUS. 

GRYSBOK. — Raphicerus  melanotis. 
STEINBOK. — R.  campestris. 

GKNUS  OREOTRAGUS. 

KLIPSPRINGER. — Oreotragus  sail  at  or. 

GENUS  NESOTRAGUS. 

LIVINGSTONE'S    SUNI. — Nesotragus    livingstonianus. 


Heads  and  II urn*  tf7 

NEOTRAGUS. 

ROYAL  ANTELOPE. — Xi-olnignx  pi/gmarux. 

GENUS  MADOQUA. 

KIRK'S  DiK-DiK. — Mailoi/iKi  kirki. 

GENUS  COBl'N. 

DEFASSA  WATICHHUC  K.- --('iibnx  defatta. 
BUFFON'S  COB. — C.  cob. 

GENUS  CERI'ICAPRA. 

MOUNTAIN   REEUBUCK. — Cerrirapra  fulvorufula. 

GENUS  AEPYCEROS. 

PALA,  or  IMPALA. — Aepyceros  mclampus.  [Plate  V,  Fig.  14.] 

GENTS  AXTIDORC.IS. 

SPRINGBUCK. — Antidorcas  euchore.  [Plate  V,  Fig.  O.J 

GENUS  GAZELLA. 

DORCAS  GAXKLLK. — Gazt'lla  ilorcas. 

ARABIAN  GAZELLE. — G.  arabica. 

ISABELLA   GAZELLE. — G.   Isabella. 

HENGLIN'S  GAZELLE. — G.  tilonura. 

GRANT'S  GAZELLE.— G.  granii.  [Plate  V,  Fig.  13.] 

SOEMMEHHING'S   GAZELLE. — G.   soemmerringi. 

RED-NECKED  GAZELLE. — G.  ruficollis. 

GENUS  LITIIOCRANIUS. 

GERENUK. — Lithocranius    rvalleri. 

GENUS  DORCOTRAGUS. 

BEIHA. — Dorcotragus  mcgalotis. 

GENUS  HIPPOTRAGUS. 

SABLE   ANTELOPE. — Hippotragux  niger.  [Plate  V,  Fig.  12.] 

BAKER'S  ROAN  ANTELOPE. — //.  equinus  bakeri.  [Plate  V,  Fig.  1.] 

GKNUS  ORYX. 

GEMSBOK  ORYX.— ()ri,.r  «•„-,.//„.  [Plate  V,  Fig.  9-] 

BEISA.-O.  beua.  [Plate  V>  Fi«'  2'' 

GENUS  BOSELAPHUS. 

NILGAI. — Boselaphus  tragocamelus. 

GENUS  TRAGELAPHUS. 

HARNESSED  ANTELOPE. — Tragelaphus  scriptus.  [Plate  V,  tig.  8.] 

CAPE    BUSHBUCK. — T.   sylvaticus. 


38 


The  National  Collection 


GENUS  LIMXOTKAGUS 

SPEKE'S  SITATUNGA. — Limnotragus  spekii. 

GENUS  STREPSICEROS. 

GREATER    KUDU. — Strepsiceros    capcnsis. 
LESSER    KUDU. — S.    imberbis. 

GENUS  TAUROTRAGUS. 

COMMON  ELAND. — Taurotragus  oryx. 

GENUS  ANTILOCAPRA. 

PRONG-HORNED    ANTELOPE. — Antilocapra  americana. 


[Plate  V,  Fig.  10.] 
[Plate  V,  Fig.  3.] 


[Plate  VII,   Fig.   1.] 


CARIBOU  AND  MOOSE 

GENUS  RANGIFER. 

KENAI  CARIBOU. — Rangifer  stonei. 
GREENLAND  CARIBOU. — R.  groenlandicus. 
WOODLAND   CARIBOU. — R.    caribou. 

GENUS  ALCES. 

EUROPEAN   MOOSE. — Alces  machlis. 

EAST  SIBERIAN  MOOSE. — A.  machlis  bedfordiae. 


[Plate  VII,  Fig.  2.] 
[Plate  VII,  Fig.  3.] 


[Plate  VII,  Fig.  1.] 
[Plate  V,  Fig.   11.] 


DEER 

GENUS  CERFUS. 

AMERICAN    ELK. — Cervus  canadensis. 

ALTAI  WAPITI. — C.  canadensis  asiaticus. 

LUEHDORF'S  MANCHURIAN  WAPITI. — C.  luehdorfi. 

PEKIN  SIKA. — C.  hortulorum. 

JAPANESE   SIKA. — C.   sika   typicus. 

INDIAN  SAMBAR. — C.  unicolor. 

MALAY  SAMBAR. — C.  equinus. 

LUZON   SAMBAR. — C.   philippinus. 

JAVAN  SAMBAR. — C.  hippclaphus  typicus. 

HOG   DEER. — C.   porcinus. 

BARASINGA  DEER. — C.  duvauceli. 

SCHOMBURGK'S  DEER. — C.  schomburgki. 

THAMENG. — C.  cldi. 

GENUS  BLASTOCEROS. 

MARSH  DEER. — Blastoceros  paludosus. 

GENUS  HIPPOCAMELUS. 

CHILIAN  GUEMAL. — Ilippocamelus  bimilcus. 

GENUS  CERFULUS. 

INDIAN    MUNTJAC. — Cervulus   muntjac. 


[Plate  VIII,   Fig.   9-] 


[Plate  VIII,  Fig.  1.] 

[Plate  VIII,  Fig.  8.] 

[Plate  VIII,  Fig.  5.] 

[Plate  VIII,  Fig.  I.] 

[Plate  VIII,  Fig.  6.] 

[Plate  VIII,  Fig.  3.] 

[Plate  VIII,  Fig.  7.] 


Ilctul.s  and  IIoniN  89 

GENUS  C.IPHKOLUS. 

EUROPEAN  ROE. — Capreolu*  <•«/>;•<•«. 

SIBERIAN    ROE. — ('.   pi/gargiis.  \  Plate  VIII,  Fig.  2.] 

GENUS  ELAPIIl'Hl'S. 

DAVID'S    DEKH. — Eliiftluirim    din-idiiinus.  [Plate  VIII,  Fig.  10.] 

GENTS  ODOCOILEUS. 

NOHTIIEUN   WHITE-TAILED  DEER. — Odocotleut  virginianus  (Minnesota). 

NORTHERN   WHITE-TAILED   DEKU. — O.  virgin ituinx  (Texas). 

SINALOA   WHITE-TAILED   DEER. — O.  sinaloae  (Guadalajara). 

YUCATAN   WHITE-TAILED   DEER. — 0.   toltecus. 

COUES'   WHITE-TAILED   DEER. — 0.   couesi.      (Head;  from  Sonora,  Mexico.) 

TRUE'S   WHITE-TAILED   DEKH. — 0.   truei.      (Honduras.) 

MULE  DEER. — O.  licniionus.     (Arizona.) 

SITKA    DEER. — O.  columhiantis  silkensis.   Head  and  pair  of  antlers.  (Ft.  Simpson,  B.  C.) 

GENUS  MAZAMA. 

TUNKAS    BROCKET. — Mazama    pandora.      (Pueblo,  Mexico.) 

; 

MISCELLANEOUS 

GENUS  RHINOCEROS. 

AFRICAN  TWO-HORNED  RHINOCEROS. — Rhinoceros  bicornis. 
Horn,   \Ql/2   inches.      (Rhodesia.) 

GENUS  ELEPIIAS. 

SIBERIAN    MAMMOTH. — Elephas    primigenius. 

Tusk,    length,    7    feet    10    inches.      (Unalaklik,   Alaska.) 

GENUS  PIIACOCIIAERUS. 

WART-HOG. — Pliacochaerus    africanus.      Tusks,   14  inches. 

SUMMARY 

BISON,  BUFFALOES,  AND  OTHERS 9  Species  21   Specimens 

MOUNTAIN   SHEEP    12  19 

GOATS    AND    IBEXES 8 

ANTELOPES 44  44 

CARIBOU,    MOOSE    AND    DEER 32  36 

TUSKS,  ETC 3 

108  131 


THE 

NATIONAL    COLLECTION 

OF 

HEADS   AND   HORNS 


PART  II 


BY  W.  T.  HORNADAY,  Sc.  D. 


NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 
NEW      YORK 

SEPTEMBER  1,  1908 


PLATE   IX.— GIANT  MOOSE   ANTLERS,   REED-McMILLIN   COLLECTION 


THE 

NATIONAL    COLLECTION 

OF 

HEADS   AND   HORNS 


PART  II 


BY  W.  T.  HORNADAY,  Sc.  D. 


NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

NEW      YORK 

SEPTEMBER  1,  1908 


COPYRIGHT,  1,008,  BY  THE 
NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  SOCIETY 


CONTENTS 

The  Year's  Record 41 

The  Reed-McMillin  Collection...  43 

A  Group  of  Gifts  from  Three  Continents 57 

Twenty  Trophies  from  Africa 59 

The  Norton  Gift 61 

The  Rarest  Bison  Head 62 

A  Trophy  from  the  Harren  Grounds 64 

A  Magnificent  Big-IIorn  Head 66 

A  New  Subspecies  of  Takin 68 

The  Kaegebehn  Gifts 69 

Miscellaneous  Gifts  73 

Classified  List  of  Gifts  to  the  National  Collection  from  April  1st, 

1907,  to  July  1st,  1908 79 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

GIANT  MOOSE  ANTLERS,  REED-McMiLLiN  COLLECTION Frontispiece 

EMERSON  McMiLLiN 43 

THE  REED-McMiLLiN  COLLECTION.     PART  1 44 

THE  REED-McMiLLiN  COLLECTION.     PART  II 45 

ALASKAN  MOOSE  HEAD 47 

OSBORN  CARIBOU  HEAD 51 

BEAR  HEADS 53 

THE  GREAT  ALASKAN  BROWN  BEAR  SKIN 54 

PACIFIC  WALRUS  HEADS 55 

GUTS  FROM  JOHN  R.  BRADLEY 58 

AFRICAN  ANTELOPE  HEADS 60 

WOOD  BISON  HEAD 63 

BARREN  GROUNDS  MusK-Ox  HEAD 65 

LOWER  CALIFORNIA  BIG-HORN  HEAD 67 

MISCELLANEOUS  GIFTS  70 

MISCELLANEOUS  GIFTS  '.  72 

REMARKABLE  BEAR  CLAW 75 

PRONG-HORNED  ANTELOPE,  FROM  MEXICO 77 


PREFACE 


THE  National  Collection  of  Heads  and  Horns  represents  an  effort  to  build  up  a  collection 
that   will   adequately    represent   the   big   game   of  the  world   in   general,   and   that   of 
America  in  particular.     Such  an  undertaking  is  now  rendered  necessary  by  the  rapid 
disappearance  of  large  mammalian  life,  all  the  world  over.      In   1906  a  definite  plan 
was   formulated  by  Madison   Grant  and  William  T.  Hornaday,  and  laid  before  the  New  York 
Zoological   Society,   proposing  that  a   great  collection  be  formed,  that  it  be  national  in  scope 
and  importance,  that  it  be  formed  by  sportsmen,  and  that  it  be  owned  and  maintained  perpet- 
ually by  the  Society,  in  the  New  York  Zoological  Park. 

This  proposal  was  at  once  accepted  by  the  Zoological  Society,  and  as  a  nucleus  Mr.  Horn- 
aday presented  his  private  collection,  as  described  in  Part  I  of  this  publication.  Until  a 
special  building  is  erected  for  it,  the  Society  will  devote  to  the  heads-and-horns  collection  the 
two  picture  galleries  of  the  new  Administration  Building  which  is  now  under  construction. 
These  galleries  will  very  well  suffice  for  two  or  three  years,  but  in  the  near  future  a  spacious 
fire-proof  building  will  be  necessary. 

As  already  intimated,  the  object  of  this  collection  is  to  afford  to  the  sportsman,  naturalist, 
and  every  other  person  interested  in  animals,  a  comprehensive  and  satisfactory  view  of  the 
big  game  of  the  world,  with  a  wealth  of  detailed  information  and  illustration.  The  first  effort 
will  be  to  bring  together  materials  for  two  complete  series  of  heads  and  horns,  one  zoological, 
the  other  geographical.  In  addition  to  these,  it  is  desirable  to  form  collections  of  horns  and 
antlers  of  specially  important  species,  such  as  the  moose,  wapiti,  mountain  sheep  and  caribou, 
to  show  their  status  in  widely  separated  localities,  and  under  varying  conditions  of  food  and 
climate.  For  example:  we  now  have  moose  heads  from  the  Kenai  Peninsula,  the  Atlin  District 
of  British  Columbia  and  from  Green  River,  Wyoming,  the  farthest  south  of  the  species.  We 
must  have,  also,  specimens  representing  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia,  the  Ottawa  Country, 
northern  Minnesota  and  the  farthest  north  of  the  moose.  Such  special  collections  surely  will 
be  of  real  value  to  everyone  who  is  interested  in  the  species  thus  represented;  and  they  will 
form  an  important  feature  of  the  National  Collection  as  a  whole. 

While  it  is  quite  essential  that  every  specimen  accepted  for  the  National  Collection  shall 
serve  some  specific  purpose,  and  serve  it  well,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  each  object  shown 
shall  be  of  an  extraordinary  character.  Of  the  rare  species  we  must  accept  small  specimens 
and  make  much  of  them  until  large  ones  are  offered.  The  tape  measure  is  not  to  be  the  sole 
arbiter,  but  of  common  species  it  is  necessary  that  a  high  standard  should  be  maintained. 

Although  this  collection  will  be  located  in  America,  we  hope  that  all  sportsmen  and  natu- 
ralists from  abroad  will  enjoy  it  with  us.  The  brotherhood  to  true  sportsmanship  is  universal. 
While  we  do  not  seek  to  impose  upon  foreign  sportsmen  any  burdens  in  connection  with  this 
undertaking,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  world-wide  cooperation  in  the  upbuilding  of  a 
world-wide  collection  will  be  welcomed  as  cordially  as  we  would  welcome  any  brother-sports- 
man to  a  seat  at  our  camp-fire  in  a  land  of  big  game. 

W.  T.  HORNADAY, 
MADISON   GRANT, 
Committee  in  Charge  of  the  Collection. 


THE  YEAR'S  RECORD 

THE  record  of  the  first  year  of  the  National  Collection  of  Heads  and 
Horns  is  profoundly  gratifying.  It  shows,  beyond  the  possibility  of 
doubt,  that  the  idea  meets  the  hearty  approval  of  American  sportsmen, 
and  that  they  will  work  it  out  to  a  splendid  consummation.  With  rare  and 
valuable  gifts  in  hand  at  this  moment  which  have  come  to  us  from  Victoria, 
British  Columbia  (Warburton  Pike)  ;  from  Santa  Barbara,  California  (George 
H.  Gould)  ;  from  London,  (William  Jamrach)  ;  from  Chungking,  China,  1200 
miles  up  the  Yangtse  Kiang  (Mason  Mitchell)  and  a  fine  collection  from 
Philadelphia  (George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.), — saying  nothing  here  of  the  gifts 
from  New  York  City, — we  may  fairly  claim  that  the  ultimate  success  of  the 
National  Collection  is  assured. 

It  is  indeed  a  great  pleasure  to  report  upon  the  gifts  of  a  year  which  has 
been  so  fruitful  as  that  which  has  elapsed  since  May  1,  1907.  They  are  so 
numerous  and  so  fine  that  it  is  impossible  to  do  them  justice  within  the  limits 
of  a  single  number  of  this  publication.  The  matchless  Reed-McMillin  collec- 
tion deserves  more  space  than  it  is  possible  to  bestow  upon  all  the  gifts  of  the 
entire  year,  and  nothing  less  than  a  double  number  should  be  offered  for  what 
must  be  set  forth  in  Part  II  of  this  publication. 

A  glance  at  the  gifts  of  the  year,  as  they  hang  crowded  together  in  what 
we  call  Store  Room  No.  3  at  the  Lion  House,  is  most  interesting.  The  wall 
space  that  is  thickly  covered  with  heads  and  horns,  omitting  the  great  bear 
skins,  which  for  the  moment  lie  upon  the  floor,  would  if  stretched  out  be  72  feet 
long  by  12  feet  high.  The  plastered  walls  have  been  solidly  covered  with 
planking,  and  that  in  turn  has  been  covered  by  olive-green  burlap,  such  as  is 
used  in  picture  galleries.  This  storeroom — which  is  in  a  building  absolutely 
fire-proof — is  now  so  full  that  another  room  has  been  fitted  up  for  a  similar 
purpose,  in  the  basement  of  the  large  Bird  House. 

Inasmuch  as  the  construction  of  the  Administration  Building  will  begin 
Sept.  1,  and  be  finished  in  1909,  the  Collection  will  ere  long  be  suitably  dis- 
played. Pending  the  erection  of  a  special  building  for  its  sole  use,  it  will  be 
installed  in  the  picture  gallery  of  the  new  building,  where  it  will  be  accessible  to 
all  sportsmen,  naturalists,  and  their  friends. 


42  The  National  Collection 

It  is  now  quite  in  order  for  gifts  as  yet  unmade  to  be  hastened  somewhat, 
in  order  that  when  the  new  building  is  "inaugurated"  the  National  Collection 
of  Heads  and  Horns  will  constitute  its  chief  feature  of  interest.  With  this 
number  of  our  annual  publication,  a  circular  letter  will  be  sent  to  all  the  sports- 
men of  North  America,  whose  names  and  addresses  are  on  our  list,  and  to  it 
their  careful  attention  is  earnestly  invited. 

There  is  a  point  on  which  the  Committee  in  charge  of  the  formation  of  the 
National  Collection  bespeaks  special  consideration  from  all  those  making  gifts. 
While  we  very  much  desire  to  secure  specimens  that  are  extra  large  and  fine, 
and  as  many  as  possible  that  are  "records,"  many  others  are  desirable  because 
of  their  rarity,  and  possibly  for  other  reasons  equally  good.  We  must  have, 
as  early  as  possible,  a  complete  collection  as  to  species,,  arranged  geograph- 
ically, for  all  the  world,  and  another  equally  complete,  arranged  in  zoological 
sequence.  Naturally  the  consummation  of  these  two  grand  objects  will  lead 
occasionally  to  the  acceptance  of  a  rare  head  that  is  really  small  for  its  kind, 
with  a  view  to  replacing  it  in  after  years  by  another  which  will  more  fitly  repre- 
sent the  species.  In  view  of  this  condition,  which  really  must  be  met,  we  ask  all 
contributors  to  give  the  Committee  a  reasonable  amount  of  discretion  in  the 
placing  of  their  gifts  in  the  two  grand  series  which  some  day  will  render  this 
collection  famous.  Many  specimens  will  be  useful  besides  those  that  make 
up  the  two  series,  for  there  will  naturally  be  developed  a  number  of  special  ex- 
hibits, to  serve  special  purposes,  some  of  them  of  very  decided  importance. 
For  example,  of  a  species  that  varies  as  greatly  as  does  the  White-Tailed 
Deer,  it  will  be  well  to  illustrate  those  variations  by  a  special  collection  of  at 
least  a  score  of  specimens,  covering  various  localities. 

Practically  all  the  measurements  recorded  for  the  gifts  received  between 
April  1,  1907,  and  July  1,  1908,  were  made  by  Ferdinand  Kaegebehn, 
Librarian  of  the  New  York  Zoological  Park.  There  is  every  reason  for  the 
belief  that  they  are  conservative  and  correct.  All  dimensions  are  given  in  feet 
and  inches. 


THE  KEED-McMILLIN  COLLECTION 


EMERSON  McMlLLIN 


BY  far  the  most  important  acces- 
sion of  the  year  1907  was  the 
splendid   collection  of  heads, 
horns    and     skins    of    Alaskan     big 
game   (Plates  X  and  XI)   made  by 
Mr.   A.    S.   Reed,   of  England,   and 
purchased    and     presented     by     Mr. 
Kmerson  McMillin.  of  New  York. 

Ten  years  ago,  the  moose,  cari- 
bou, big  brown  bears  and  other  game 
animals  of  the  Alaskan  littoral  were 
much  more  numerous  than  they  are 
now, — or  ever  will  be  again.  The 
hunters  of  even  less  than  ten  years 
ago  were  able  to  take  their  pick  of 
the  huge  individuals  who  had  fed  fat 
and  grown  colossal  in  size,  without 
the  dangers  and  casualties  of  to-day.  In  1900,  heads  were  obtainable  by 
persistent  sportsmen  which  now  are  very  hard  to  secure  in  the  wilds.  The 
period  of  real  moose  and  caribou  slaughter  set  in  about  1900,  and  since  that  date 
very  few  sportsmen  have  collected  moose-heads  of  70  inches  or  above. 

From  1896  to  1902  A.  S.  Reed,  an  Englishman,  lived  at  Victoria,  B. 
C.,  and  made  frequent  hunting  expeditions  to  Alaska  and  northern  British 
Columbia.  It  was  his  practice  to  hunt  the  large  horned  game  very  late  in  the 
fall  or  in  the  early  winter,  and  to  seek  bears  at  the  earliest  possible  period  in  the 
spring.  The  choicest  of  all  the  heads  and  skins  taken  on  these  half-dozen  ex- 
peditions were  carefully  preserved,  and  afterward  mounted  in  Victoria.  Mr. 
Reed's  work  was  done  by  Fred.  Foster,  who  certainly  is  one  of  the  best 
taxidermists  of  the  whole  Pacific  coast,  and  it  has  been  so  well  executed  that 
we  are  able  to  regard  it  with  genuine  satisfaction. 

In  the  most  sportsmanlike  manner,  Mr.  Reed  finally  accumulated  a  large 
collection  of  exceedingly  valuable  specimens,  all  in  a  fine  state  of  preservation. 


Heads  and  Horns 


PLATE  X 


izi 

0 


0 
0 

2; 

M 

J 
— . 

u 

s 


K 
E 


Heads  and  Horns 


PLATE  XI 


46  The  National  Collection 

The  collection  was  temporarily  deposited  in  the  club  house  of  the  Union  Club, 
Victoria,  and  for  several  years  was  displayed  upon  its  walls.  To  all  sportsmen 
and  naturalists  who  visited  Victoria,  the  "Reed  Collection"  was  shown  as  one 
of  the  notable  sights  of  the  city. 

Finally,  in  1905,  Mr.  Reed  left  Victoria,  and  again  took  up  his  residence 
in  England ;  and  the  final  disposal  of  his  collection  became  a  serious  question. 
It  became  apparent  that  because  of  the  impossibility  of  keeping  it  with  him,  or 
even  near  him,  it  would  be  best  to  sell  it,  provided  a  satisfactory  purchaser 
should  appear.  The  price  first  fixed  for  it  was  $10.000.00.  Later  on  that  was 
reduced  to  $6,000.00,  and  at  that  figure  the  collection  very  narrowly  escaped 
being  fatally  sold  in  1905. 

For  several  years  the  "Reed  Collection,"  in  Victoria,  was  longingly  re- 
garded by  many  persons  on  this  side  of  America.  It  was  offered  to  two  or 
three  museums,  but  fortunately  none  of  them  manifested  any  practical  interest 
in  its  purchase.  By  a  strange  combination  of  circumstances,  all  tending  in  the 
same  direction,  it  was  reserved  for  the  National  Collection;  and  furthermore, 
the  National  Collection  was  founded  barely  in  the  nick  of  time  to  secure  it! 

In  the  spring  of  1907,  immediately  following  the  issue  of  Part  I  of  this 
publication,  Mr.  Madison  Grant  and  the  writer  resolved  to  put  forth  as  much 
effort  as  might  be  found  necessary  to  secure  by  popular  subscription  a  fund 
sufficient  to  purchase  the  "Reed  Collection."  Mr.  Reed  was  at  once  located 
and  addressed,  and  an  option  was  asked  for,  at  $5,000.00  for  the  lot,  leaving  out 
the  bear  skins.  Mr.  Reed  replied  that  he  would  not  like  to  divide  the  collec- 
tion in  any  way,  and  in  view  of  the  important  object  for  which  the  collection 
was  desired,  we  might  have  the  whole  of  it  for  $5,000.00 !  It  is  unnecessary  to 
remark,  after  this  statement,  that  Mr.  Reed  is  unquestionably  a  true  sports- 
man. 

At  this  juncture,  Mr.  Emerson  McMillin,  of  New  York, — banker,  art 
connoisseur,  big-game  hunter  and  member  of  the  Camp-Fire  Club  of  America, 
intimated  to  the  writer  his  desire  to  do  something  for  the  National  Collection. 
When  the  proposal  regarding  the  purchase  of  the  "Reed  Collection"  was  fully 
placed  before  him,  without  an  instant's  hesitation  he  said,  "You  buy  the  collec- 
tion, have  it  brought  on  to  New  York,  and  I  will  pay  both  cost  and  carriage." 

It  is  not  only  right  and  just,  but  also  necessary,  in  accordance  with  the 
eternal  fitness  of  things,  that  henceforth  this  matchless  collection  and  gift  shall 
be  known  to  the  world  as  the  REED-McMILLIN  COLLECTION. 


Heads  diid  Horns 


FIG.  15.— ALASKAN  MOOSE  HEAD 
In  the  Reed-McMillin  Collection 


The  purchase  of  the  Reed  Collection  was  closed  with  Mr.  Reed  on  Sep- 
tember 6,  1907,  and  the  price  paid  was  $5,000.00.  The  specimens  were  turned 
over  to  Fred.  Foster,  taxidermist,  of  Victoria,  on  September  13,  1907. 
Mr.  Foster  renovated  everything,  packed  the  collection  in  six  huge  cases,  and 
shipped  it  from  Victoria  on  September  20,  1907.  Hon.  Abraham  Smith, 
American  Consul  at  Victoria,  representing  the  purchasers,  inspected  and  ap- 
proved the  collection,  and  it  was  on  his  approval  that  the  purchase  price  was 
paid.  Mr.  Foster  rendered  the  National  Collection  most  excellent  service  in 
the  thorough  and  expeditious  manner  in  which  all  his  work  was  performed. 

The  collection  arrived  at  the  Lion  House  in  the  Zoological  Park  on  Oc- 
tober 16,  1907,  and  by  the  courtesy  of  the  General  Appraiser  of  the  Port  of 
New  York,  the  cases  were  not  opened  for  examination  until  they  reached  the 
Park.  The  total  cost  of  renovating,  packing  and  shipping  the  collection  was 
a  trifle  under  $500.00,  all  of  which  was  paid  by  Mr.  McMillin. 


48     ,  The  National  Collection 

As  a  special  favor  to  the  Forest,  Fish  and  Game  Society  of  America,  a 
large  portion  of  this  collection  was  loaned  for  exhibition  at  its  first  Sportsman's 
Show,  held  in  the  Grand  Central  Palace;  but  because  of  the  dangers  of  fire, 
and  the  impossibility  of  ever  replacing  these  specimens,  if  once  destroyed,  they 
never  again  will  be  sent  away  from  the  Zoological  Park  for  exhibition,  or  for 
any  other  purpose. 

The  Moose  Heads.— Of  all  the  big  animals  of  Alaska— "big"  bear,  "big" 
caribou  and  others,  the  "Giant"  Moose,  (Alces  americanus  gigas)  appeals 
most  strongly  to  the  imagination  of  everybody  in  general,  and  to  the  sports- 
man in  particular.  It  is  truly  the  colossus  of  the  North;  and  if  the  people  of 
the  United  States  ever  permit  it  to  be  even  practically  exterminated,  they  will 
merit  the  scorn  of  all  coming  generations.  Professor  Osborn  has  said  that 
"Nature  has  been  a  million  years  in  developing  that  wonderful  animal;  and 
man  should  not  ruthlessly  destroy  it!" 

The  sight  of  one  fine  head  of  an  Alaskan  Moose  should  be  enough  to  in- 
duce any  good  American  citizen  to  support  heartily  the  principle  of  game  pro- 
tection in  our  arctic  province. 

Thus  far  the  largest  Moose  and  the  largest  of  all  Moose  antlers  have  come 
from  the  Kenai  Peninsula.  It  was  there  that  Mr.  Reed  hunted  Moose  in  Sep- 
tember and  October,  1900,  and  shot  the  six  specimens  whose  heads  now  form 
the  most  imposing  feature  of  his  collection.  One  only  (Figure  15)  has  been 
mounted ;  and  although  the  skins  of  the  other  five  heads  are  present,  in  a  fine 
state  of  preservation,  it  seems  to  be  the  universal  opinion  of  the  animal  painters 
and  sculptors,  and  horn  experts,  also,  that  the  antlers  look  far  more  imposing 
as  they  are,  unmounted.  We  have  been  strongly  advised  by  Mr.  Carl  Run- 
gius  and  others,  never  to  permit  the  grand-prize  76-inch  antlers  to  be  mounted. 

It  is  well,  however,  to  have  one  mounted  head  of  an  Alaskan  Moose,  in 
order  that  the  enormous  bulk  of  the  living  animal  may  be  appreciated. 

The  largest  pair  of  Moose  antlers  (Plate  IX)  in  this  collection  is,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  writer,  the  finest  pair  in  the  world.  Its  palmation  is  far  wider, 
and  it  has  more  points,  than  the  antlers  in  the  Field  Museum,  at  Chicago,  which 
in  spread  surpass  this  pair  by  2j  inches.  When  killed,  this  head  had  a  spread 
of  76  inches,  but  in  eight  years  of  drying  it  has  shrunken  to  75  inches.  All 
Moose  antlers  lose  width  in  about  that  proportion.  Up  to  this  time,  Moose 
antlers  have  been  ranked  by  their  spread  alone;  but  I  think  that  is  a  mistake. 
In  my  opinion,  area  of  palmation  should  be  regarded  as  the  leading  feature,  for 
it  is  that  which  is  most  impressive  in  Moose  antlers, — far  more  so  than  wide 


Head  ft  tind 


49 


spread  and  narrow  "shovel."  1  have  seen  several  antlers  with  great  spread 
that  were  not  so  fine  or  desirable  as  others  of  less  spread  but  better  palmation. 
The  measurements  of  Mr.  Reed's  six  Moose  heads  are  to-day  as  shown 
below ;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  measurements  of  fresh  heads  are  not 
to  be  compared  with  those  taken  from  heads  that  are  thoroughly  dry. 


MOOSE     HEADS 


CATA- 

LOGUE 

Nl'M- 
BKR 

INNER  RDGE 

GREAT- 
EST 
SPREAD 

L/ENGTH   ON 
OUTSIDE 
CURVE 

GREATEST 
WIDTH  OF 
PALMATION 

CIRCUMFER- 
ENCE OF  BEAM 
ABOVE  BURR 

NUMBER  OP 
POINTS 

Right 

Left 

Right 

Left 

Right 

Left 

Right 

Left 

Right 

Left 

117 

41 

40 

75 

41% 

40  f6 

18 

2\% 

9 

10% 

19 

23 

118 

43  % 

43 

71/i 

48 

48 

17* 

16% 

9K 

9% 

18 

16 

119 

45 

44  % 

64% 

47 

46% 

16% 

15% 

93A 

9ft 

12 

15 

120 

44 

46% 

61^ 

47 

48 

18/^ 

2134 

9 

9 

13 

16 

121 

37% 

37 

68 

41 

43% 

12 

131A 

83/4 

8H 

19 

19 

122 

38% 

38% 

63tt 

4234 

42 

1334 

13% 

9% 

9% 

17 

19 

The  Caribou  Heads. — The  six  mounted  heads  of  Caribou  collected  by  Mr. 
Reed  represent  two  species,  and  also  two  groups.     Fortunately  the  finest  head 
in  the  series  is  also  the  rarest.     It  was  killed  in  the  Cassiar  Mountains,  of 
northern  British  Columbia,  in  1896,  and   represents  the   Osborn   Caribou,— 
Rangifcr  osborni   (Figure  17).     In  size,  in  massiveness,  length  of  tines  and 
general  ensemble,  this  is  certainly  one  of  the  finest  Caribou  heads  in  existence. 
A  cut  of  it  appears  in  an  elaborate  illustrated  paper  on  "The  Caribou,"  by 
Madison  Grant,  published  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  New  York  Zoological 
Society  for  1902.     This  species,  named  in  honor  of  Prof.  Henry  Fairfield 
Osborn,  is  one  of  the  largest,  and  weighs  from  550  to  700  pounds.     Mr.  Grant 
states  that  "K.  osborni  are  found  living  throughout  the  year  in  the  high  moun- 
tains above  timber-line,  and  are  the  largest  and  handsomest  Caribou  known." 
It  is  indeed  good  fortune  to  have  secured  the  famous  head  that  is  figured  here- 
with. 

The  other  Caribou  heads,  five  in  number,  were  taken  on  the  western  side 
of  the  Alaskan  Peninsula,  in  September  and  October,  1901.  They  are  Rangifer 
granti,  and  represent  a  species  described  in  1902,  and  named  in  honor  of 
Madison  Grant,  through  whose  efforts  the  type  specimens  were  collected. 

This  species  belongs  to  the  Barren  Ground  group  of  Caribou,  and  is  a 
much  smaller  animal  than  the  robust  Kenai,  Osborn  and  Mountain  species, 
which  are  woodlanders.  The  antlers  are  longer  in  the  beam,  have  fewer  points, 


50 


The  National  Collection 


and  are  also  of  distinctly  lighter  build.  Formerly  Grant  Caribou  were  abun- 
dant on  the  Alaska  Peninsula,  but  so  many  have  been  butchered  to  make  an 
arctic  holiday  that  few  remain.  Thanks  to  the  Alaska  game  laws,  the  Sec- 
retary of  Agriculture  has  absolutely  prohibited  the  killing  of  both  Grant  Cari- 
bou and  the  Kenai  species,  on  their  respective  peninsulas.  The  following- 
table  gives  the  dimensions  of  the  six  Caribou  heads  in  this  collection: 


CARIBOU     HEADS 


SPECIES 

CATA- 
LOGUE 
NUM- 
BER 

LENGTH  ON 
OUTEK  CURVE 

GREATEST 
OUTSIDE 
SPREAD 

CIRCUMFERENCE 
OF  BEAM  ABOVE 
BROWTINE 

POINTS 

Right 

Left 

Right 

Left 

Right 

Lefl 

Rangifer   osborni 

123 

55?4 

56 

44 

8 

8 

26 

18 

Rangifer   granti 

124 

57 

59?4 

49 

11A 

9 

11 

18 

i  *           <  t 

125 

58  J4 

62 

50 

73/8 

8^/8 

9 

15 

•  (            i  ( 

126 

50^ 

52tt 

42^ 

8^ 

73/6 

13 

12 

t  «            t  . 

127 

54 

60 

43>/2             7*/4 

iy& 

20 

14 

<  t            «  » 

128 

54 

55^ 

50^ 

7% 

11A 

18 

14 

White  Mountain  Sheep. — On  the  Kenai  Peninsula,  in  November  and 
December,  1900,  Mr.  Reed  collected  the  ten  sheep  heads  now  in  the  collection. 
The  species  which  inhabit  that  locality  has  been  described  (by  J.  A.  Allen)  as 
a  sub-species  of  the  original  form,  the  type  of  which  was  collected  by  E.  W. 
Nelson,  in  1884,  in  the  Tanana  country. 

The  Kenai  form  has  been  christened  Ovis  dalli  kenaiensis,  and  it  is  be- 
lieved by  some  authorities  that  its  horns  "nearly  always"  are  developed  in  a 
closer  spiral  than  the  horns  of  White  Sheep  from  the  main  range  of  the  Rockies. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  we  have  here  a  splendid  series  of  heads  from  the  Kenai 
country,  and  when  some  one  else  places  us  in  possession  of  an  equally  good 
series  from  other  portions  of  the  home  of  the  White  Sheep,  we  can  have  an 
opportunity  to  judge  for  ourselves  regarding  the  horn  architecture  of  the  two 
forms. 

A  great  many  of  the  White  Sheep  now  in  the  halls  of  sportsmen,  and  in 
museums  generally,  have  been  collected  either  in  the  summer  or  early  autumn, 
when  the  new  pelage  was  short  and  scanty,  and  sometimes  stained  with  earth. 
Summer-killed  specimens  do  not  fully  represent  any  ruminant  species  of  the 
temperate  or  arctic  zones,  but  often  in  remote  localities  they  are  the  only 
ones  obtainable  by  the  long-distance  sportsman. 


Heads  and  1 1  or  us 


51 


FIG.   17.— OSBORN   CARIBOU    HEAD 


In  the  winter-killed  sheep  specimens  of  Mr.  Reed,  the  pelage  is  of  maxi- 
mum length.  Indeed,  on  the  three  mounted  heads  it  is  so  long  as  to  almost 
mask  the  form  and  proportions  of  the  head  and  face.  Often  in  the  mounting 
of  heads  clothed  with  full-length  pelage,  the  skill  of  the  taxidermist  is  taxed  to 
the  utmost  to  turn  out  a  finished  head  that  will  not  look  commonplace,  or  even 
shapeless,  by  reason  of  its  great  mask  of  long  hair. 

Inasmuch  as  the  killing  of  White  Sheep  on  the  Kenai  Peninsula  is  now 
absolutely  prohibited,  we  may  congratulate  ourselves  upon  having  secured  this 


52 


The  National  Collection 


surpassingly  fine  series  of  mounted  heads,   skulls  and  head-skins  to  match. 
The  horn  measurements  of  the  five  largest  specimens  are  as  follows : 


WHITE   SHEEP  HEADS 


CATA- 
LOGUE 

NUM- 
BER 

CIRCUMFERENCE  AT 
BASE 

LENGTH  ON  OUTER 
CURVE 

WIDEST  OUTSIDE 
SPREAD 

DISTANCE  BETWEEN 
TIPS 

Right 

Left 

Right 

Left 

137 

13 

13 

37  % 

383/8 

20^8 

19# 

138 

12# 

13 

36/8 

365/8 

205/4 

20^ 

134 

12& 

12  A 

34^ 

34^ 

23tt 

23/8 

136 

125/8 

123/8 

343/4 

36 

21 

20/8 

135 

12# 

12# 

33^ 

35^8 

20  ^ 

19H 

THE   BEAR  SKINS  AND  HEADS 

Skins. — It  is  here  that  the  writer  hesitates,  and  would  gladly  be  excused ; 
for  the  gloom  surrounding  the  classification  and  individual  identity  of  the 
hears  of  Alaska  is  at  times  impenetrable.  For  example,  who  can  name  the 
species  to  which  these  bears  belong  (except  the  Black  Bear)  without  dismount- 
ing the  heads,  and  taking  out  the  skulls  to  examine  them? 

The  largest  bear  skin  is  a  sad  blow  to  the  supremacy  of  the  Kadiak  Island 
Bear,  (Ursus  middendorffi) ,  whose  title  to  fame  has  rested  chiefly  upon  his 
superior  size.  Here  is  a  skin  taken  on  the  western  side  of  the  Alaska  Peninsula, 
in  April,  1901,  which  once  was  worn  by  nothing  less  than  an  ursine  monster. 
It  does  not  look  stretched  beyond  its  proper  limits,  and  I  think  it  is  about  as 
Nature  made  it;  which,  by  the  way,  is  a  rare  thing  in  big  skins  of  Alaskan 
Brown  Bears.  Usually  they  are  stretched  to  the  limit  of  possibility,  and  some- 
times extra  length  is  obtained  at  a  loss  of  width  which  ruins  the  true  propor- 
tions. 

The  huge  skin  shown  in  the  accompanying  plate  (Figure  16)  measures  9 
ft.  4  in.  in  length  from  end  of  nose  to  tip  of  tail ;  8  ft.  2  in.  across  front  paws,  to 
base  of  middle  claws;  and  6  ft.  5  in.  in  width  at  the  middle  of  the  body,  as 
trimmed  and  made  into  a  rug.  The  head  measurements  are  given  in  the  table 
below,  its  catalogue  number  being  145. 

This  skin  is  precisely  similar  in  color  to  that  of  the  Kadiak  Bear,  but  its 
head  seems  to  be  shorter,  especially  in  the  muzzle.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
the  Kadiak  species  is  marked  by  an  extremely  long  muzzle,  (i.  e.  the  nose,  from 


Heads  and  Horn* 


PLATE  XII 


1  Alaskan  Brown  Bear 

2  Alaskan  Brown  Bear 


ALASKAN  BEAR  HEADS 
In  the  Reed-McMillin  Collection 

3  Alaskan  Brown  Bear 

4  Alaskan  Brown  Bear 
Skull  of  an  Alaskan  Brown  Bear 


5  Alaskan  Brown  Bear 

6  Alaskan  Black  Bear 


.54 


The  National  Collection 


FIG.  16.— THE  GREAT  ALASKAX  BROWN   BEAK   SKIN 
In   the   Reed-McMillin   Collection 


the  eyes,  forward) .  Three  forms  of  Alaskan  Brown  Bears  have  been  described 
from  the  Alaska  Peninsula;  Ursus  merriami,  by  Allen,  Ursus  dalli  gyas  and 
kidderi,  by  Merriam.  This  giant  skin, — which  surely  is  one  of  the  very  finest 
bear  skins  in  existence, — may  represent  any  one  of  those  forms,  or  neither  of 
them;  and  the  observer  of  it  is  left  to  take  his  choice  of  names. 

There  are  two  other  bear  skins,  smaller,  of  lighter  and  more  varied  colors 
than  the  giant,  and  it  is  reasonably  safe  to  believe  that  they  represent  imma- 
ture specimens  of  the  same  species. 

Heads.  (Plate  XII.) — Of  mounted  heads  there  are  six.  Five  are  of 
Alaskan  Brown  Bears,  of  various  ages  and  sizes,  and  one  is  of  a  large  Black 
Bear.  All  were  killed  on  the  w-estern  slope  of  the  Alaska  Peninsula  in  April 
and  May,  1901.  Three  of  the  "big  Brown  Bear"  heads  are  very  large,  and 
each  has  its  own  peculiarities.  All  are  in  fine  pelage,  but  having  been  killed 


Heads  and  Horns 


I'I.ATK  XIII 


PACIFIC  WALRUS  HEADS  AND  TUSKS 
In  the  Reed-McMillin  Collection 


56 


The  National  Collection 


in  the  spring,  it  is  almost  certain  that  their  colors  are  lighter  than  they  were  in 
the  late  fall  and  early  winter.  This  seasonal  color  change  is  one  of  the  few  con- 
stant conditions  that  have  marked  the  four  Alaskan  Brown  Bears  (from  three 
localities)  now  living  in  the  New  York  Zoological  Park. 

The  measurements  of  the  four  large  mounted  heads  of  big  Brown  Bears, 
and  the  mounted  head  on  the  large  skin,  are  as  follows: 


BEAR     HEADS 


CATA- 
LOGUE 
NUM- 
BER 

EAR  TO  END 
OF  NOSE 
DIRECT  LINE 

GREATEST 
BREADTH  AT  JAWS 
ACROSS  UPPER 
CANINES 

INNER   CIRCUM- 
FERENCE OF  EYE 
TO  END  OF  NOSE 

BETWEEN   EARS 
AT  BASE 

CIRCUMFERENCE 
AROUND  JAWS 

145 

19  Y4 

4K 

7/8 

16# 

26^  Open 

139 

19  7A 

4 

8 

14% 

25^       " 

140 

17% 

3% 

7tt 

13# 

23 

141 

17/8 

t% 

7H 

151/! 

18#i  Closed 

142 

14# 

3 

7 

12 

19      Open 

The  Walrus  Heads  and  Tusks.  (Plate  XIII).—  The  Reed-McMillin 
collection  contains  two  mounted  heads  of  Pacific  Walrus,  (Odobaenus  obcsus) 
and  seven  pairs  of  Walrus  tusks.  The  heads  themselves  are  very  large,  and 
excellently  mounted,  but  none  of  the  tusks  are  of  unusual  size.  Their  owners 
were  killed  by  Mr.  Reed,  on  the  west  coast  of  the  Alaska  Peninsula,  in 
November,  1901. 

The  Pacific  Walrus  is  a  far  larger  animal  than  its  Atlantic  relative,  and 
its  form  is  much  more  remarkable.  Its  most  astonishing  feature  is  the  great 
height  and  enormous  neck  of  the  adult  male,  which  really  is  almost  incredible 
until  seen.  A  specimen  measured  by  Henry  W.  Elliot  on  Walrus  Island, 
Bering  Sea,  measured  12  ft.  7  in.  in  length,  not  including  the  hind  flippers, 
and  its  girth  was  14  feet!  Naturally,  the  mounted  head  of  such  a  marine  mon- 
ster as  this  is  a  remarkable  object,  and  rarely  come  by,  even  in  a  natural  history 
museum.  An  adult  bull  Pacific  Walrus  which  could  be  induced  to  live  in  a 
show  for  one  season  would  be  a  greater  wonder  than  forty  elephants.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  such  an  animal  never  has  been  kept  in  captivity,  and  prob- 
ably never  will  be.  The  dimensions  of  the  two  large  mounted  heads  in  the 

collection  are  as  follows: 

No.  149, 
Greatest  width  ....................................................  15     inches; 

Circumference  of  muzzle  .......................  .  ............  45f 

Width  of  muzzle  ..................................................  15J  14f 

Circumference,  at  back  of  head  ..........................  59J  52§ 


No.  150, 
15     inches. 


A  GROUP  OF  GIFTS  FROM  THREE  CONTINENTS 

EARLY  in  1907,  and  immediately  following  the  first  announcement  of 
the   founding   of   the   National  Collection  by  the  acceptance  of  the 
"nucleus,"  Mr.  John  Roger  Bradley  offered  three  trophy  heads  from 
his  African  hunting  trip.     One  was  a  Coke  Hartebeest, — Bubalis  cokei  (Plate 
XIV,  Fig.  2),  another  an  Impala  Antelope, — Aepyceros  melampus  (Plate 
XIV,  Fig.  1),  and  the  third  and  finest  was  a  Common  Waterbuck, — Cobus 
cUiLmi  pry  mints  (Plate  XIV,  Fig.  4).     All  three  were  shot  by  Mr.  Bradley  in 
British  East  Africa  in  1905. 

Next  in  order,  Mr.  Bradley  offered  a  fine  and  very  valuable  mounted 
head  of  a  Siberian  Argali, — Ovis  ammon  (Plate  XIV,  Fig.  5),  shot  by  him 
in  the  Altai  Mountains  of  Central  Asia  in  1906.  This  is  a  great  prize.  We 
know  that  in  this  country  there  are  several  fine  pairs  of  horns  of  this  matchless 
species  of  wild  sheep,  the  largest  pair  being  already  in  the  National  Collec- 
tion, but  of  mounted  heads  we  know  of  no  others  in  America  than  those  shot  by 
Mr.  Bradley. 

The  specimen  that  now  is  ours  was  shot  in  the  early  autumn,  while  its 
pelage  was  short,  and  in  fact  it  shows  in  a  very  interesting  way  the  transition 
stage,  from  summer  to  winter.  The  horn  measurements  of  this  head  are  as 
follows : 

Basal  circumference,  right  19i  inches;  left,  19  J  inches;  length  on  curve, 
right  47i  inches;  left,  47  inches. 

Circumference  18  inches  from  base,  right  15  J  inches;  left,  14J  inches. 

Circumference  one  inch  from  tip,  right  4  inches;  left,  3f  inches. 

Distance  between  tips,  34  inches. 

The  age  of  the  animal  was  about  13  years. 

Mr.  Bradley's  last  gift  was  the  mounted  head  of  an  Atlantic  Walrus, 
Odobaenus  rosmarus  (Plate  XIV,  Fig.  3),  shot  by  him  in  Smith  Sound  in 
1907.  By  two  fortunate  circumstances,  we  are  thus  early  placed  in  possession 
of  mounted  heads  of  both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Walrus,  the  only  walrus 
species  now  in  existence. 


Heads  and  Horns 


PLATE  XIV 


GIFTS   FROM  JOHN   R.   BRADLEY 


1  Impala  Antelope 

2  Coke  Hartebeeste 


3     Atlantic  Walrus 


4  Common  Waterbuck 

5  Siberian  Argali 


TWENTY  TROPHIES  FROM  AFRICA 

EARLY  in  1907,  Mr.  George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.,  of  Philadelphia,  noted 
the  founding  of  the  National  Collection,  and  decided  to  contribute 
toward  it.  His  first  gift  of  mounted  heads  was  presently  followed  by 
another,  and  a  little  later  he  added  to  them  a  highly  desirable  shipment,  from 
London,  of  unmounted  heads  and  horns. 

Mr.  Harrison  has  made  two  trips  to  the  big-game  region  of  East  Africa  in 
quest  of  large  game,  in  both  of  which  he  was  very  successful.  His  collection 
contains  representations  of  about  sixty  species  of  large  mammalia,  usually  a 
pair  of  each.  All  the  mounted  heads  presented  to  us  by  Mr.  Harrison  (Plate 
XV)  were  prepared  by  Rowland  Ward,  of  London,  and  are  admirably 
executed.  Mr.  Ward's  men  have  had  so  much  experience  in  the  mounting  of 
African  Antelopes,  and  they  also  have  in  the  London  Zoological  Gardens  such 
fine  opportunities  to  study  living  specimens,  their  proficiency  is  no  cause  for 
wonder.  Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  group  of  African  antelopes,  gazelles, 
hartebeests,  kudus  and  other  forms  will  realize  that  the  making  of  two  com- 
plete collections  of  them  is  a  long  and  toilsome  task,  and  the  possession  of  a 
hundred  specimens  means  scarcely  more  than  a  beginning. 

The  collection  presented  by  Mr.  Harrison  contains  several  specimens  of 
prime  rarity.  The  White-Eared  Cob, — Cobus  leucotis  (Plate  XV,  Fig.  3), 
and  the  Red-Fronted  Gazelle, — Gazella  rufifrons  (Plate  XV,  Fig.  8),  are 
so  rare  in  America  that  it  is  doubtful  whether  there  are  ten  men  in  America  who 
—not  having  hunted  them — can  recognize  them  at  sight.  The  former  is  hand- 
somely marked  in  a  pattern  of  black  and  white.  The  Grant  Gazelle,  repre- 
sented by  a  fine  pair  of  heads,  is  assuredly  one  of  the  handsomest  of  the  many 
species  of  Gazella.  Of  the  small  species,  none  is  more  dainty  than  the  little 
Thomson  Gazelle,  which,  with  its  large  display  of  horns  on  a  very  diminutive 
head  looks  proud  in  the  extreme. 

The  largest  mounted  specimen  in  Mr.  Harrison's  fine  group,  is  the 
head  of  a  Common  Waterbuck, — Cobus  ellipsiprymmis  ( Plate  XV,  Fig.  1 ) . 
A  complete  enumeration  of  this  valuable  donation  reveals  the  following: 


Heads  and  Horns 


PLATE  XV 


GEO.  L.  HARRISON'S  GIFT  OF  AFRICAN  ANTELOPE  HEADS 


1  Common  Waterbuck  4     Grant  Gazelle  $ 

2  Coke  Hartebeeste  5     Dorcas  Gazelle 

3  White-Eared  Cob  6     Thomson  Gazelle 

10     Addra  Gazelle  $ 


11 


7  Addra  Gazelle  9 

8  Red-Fronted  Gazelle 

9  Grant  Gazelle   5 
Dorcas  Gazelle 


Heads  and  Horns  61 

MOUNTED     HEADS 

(PLATE  XV.) 

WATERBUCK,    (Cobus   ellipsiprymnus).      $      Dinder     River,     Sudan,     at     Abyssinian     Border. 

February,   1906.      (Figure   1.) 
WHITE-EARED    COB,    (Cobus    leucotis).      $       Bahr-el-Zerafe  and  White  Nile.     February,  1906. 

(Figure  3.) 

ADDRA  GAZELLE,  (Gasella  ruficollis).      <J       Bara,  Kordofan.     January,   1907.      (Figure  10.) 
ADDHA  GAZELLE,  (Gasella  ruficollis).       9      Bara,  Kordofan.     January,   1907.      (Figure  7.) 
DORCAS  GAZELLE,    (Gasella  dorcas).      $      Kordofan.     January,  1908.      (Figure  5.) 
GRANT  GAZELLE,   (Gasella  granti).      $      Lake  Naivasha,  B.  E.  A.     August,  1904.     (Fig.  4.) 
GRANT  GAZELLE,    (Gasella  granti).       5       Lake  Naivasha,  B.  E.  A.     August,  1904.      (Fig.  Q.) 
RED-FRONTED     GAZELLE,     (Gasella     rufifrons).       $       Bara,    near    Kordofan.     January,    1907. 

(Figure  8.) 
THOMSON      GAZELLE,      (Gasella      thomsoni).       3       Nairobi,    B.    E.    Africa.     January,     1904. 

(Figure  6.) 
COKE  HARTEBEEST,  (Eubalis  cokei).      $      Nairobi,  B.  E.  A.     July,  1904.      (Figure  2.) 

UNMOUNTED     HEADS,     ETC. 

ABYSSINIAN   BUFFALO,    (Bos   equinoctialis) .     Scalp. 

ABYSSINIAN  BUSHBUCK,   (Tragelaphus  scriptus  decula).     Skull  and  horns. 

TORA   HARTEBEEST,   (Bubalis  tora).     Skull  and  horns. 

GRANT  GAZELLE,   (Gasella  granti).     Horns. 

IMPALA,   (Aepyceros  melampus).     Scalp. 

DORCAS  GAZELLE,   (Gasella  dorcas).     Horns.      (Figure  11.) 

REEDBUCK,    (Cervicapra   arundinum).     Skull   and  horns. 

SOEMMERRING  GAZELLE,   (Gasella  soemmerringi) .     Skull,  horns  and  scalp. 

LION.     Two  skulls. 


THE  NORTON  GIFT 

MR.    John    W.    Norton,    of    New  York  City  and  Cazenovia,  success- 
ful hunter  in  Africa  and  in  North  America,  has  presented  to  the  Col- 
lection a  valuable  series  of  horns,  skulls  and  head  skins  of  African 
big  game,  all  in  a  fine  state  of  preservation,  and  also  three  mounted  heads. 
Although  the  gift  was  offered  with  some  hesitation,  because  the  African  heads 
are  unmounted,  both  the  rarity  and  the  general  excellence  of  the  specimens 
justified  their  acceptance  with  gratitude.     A  gift  which  contains  a  Greater 
Kudu,  an  Eland,  a  Baker  Roan  Antelope  and  a  Crawshay  Waterbuck  is  to  be 
regai-ded  with  unqualified  appreciation. 

Regarding  the  future  of  this  gift,  we  are  in  an  unusual  dilemma.  The 
skulls  are  all  in  so  good  a  state  of  preservation  that  it  seems  a  pity  to  lose  their 
zoological  value  by  mounting  the  head  skins  over  them.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  head  skins  are  entirely  too  fine  to  be  kept  unmounted!  If  funds  become 
available,  we  may  yet  cut  the  Gordion  knot  by  having  the  horns  removed  from 


62  The  National  Collection 

the  skulls,  and  mounting  the  head  skins  over  cast  skulls,  thus  disproving  the 
arrogant  proverb  which  says  that  "You  can  not  have  your  cake  and  eat  it,  too!" 
In  addition  to  thirteen  specimens  collected  in  Africa  in  1906,  Mr.  Norton's 
gift  includes  three  mounted  heads  from  Wyoming,  one  of  which  is  of  a  female 
Prong-Horned  Antelope  which  hears  horns.  Few  sportsmen,  we  venture  to 
say,  ever  have  seen  such  a  specimen.  The  complete  list  of  Mr.  Norton's  gift  is 
as  follows: 

AMERICAN  WAPITI,   (Cervus  canadensis).       9       Mounted  head. 
PRONG-HORNED  ANTELOPE,   (Antilocapra  americana).       9       Mounted  head. 
MULE   DEER,    (Odocoileus  liemionus).       9       Mounted  head. 
CRAWSHAV   WATERBUCK,    (Cobus   crawshayi).      Skull,  horns  and  skin. 
COMMON   WATERBUCK,    (Cobus  ellipsiprymnus).      Skull,  horns  and  skin. 
COMMON   WATERBUCK,    (Cobus  ellipsiprymnus).      Skull,  horns  and  skin. 
GRANT  GAZELLE,  (Gazella  granti).     Skull,  horns  and  skin. 
GRANT  GAZELLE,   (Gazella  granti).      Skull,  horns  and  skin. 
ELAND,    (Taurotragus   oryx).     Skull,  horns   and  skin. 
GREATER  KUDU,   (Strepsiceros  kudu).      Skull,  horns  and  skin. 
-BAKER  ROAN  ANTELOPE,  (Hippotragus  bakeri).     Skull,  horns  and  skin. 
IMPALA,    (Aepyceros   melampus).      Skull,   horns  and  skin. 

WARD  REDUNCA  ANTELOPE,  (Cervicapra  redunca  wardi).     Skull,  horns  and  head  skin. 
WARD  REDUNCA  ANTELOPE,  (Cervicapra  redunca  mardi).      Horns  on  skull. 
IMPALA,    (Aepyceros    melampus).      Horns   on    skull. 
COKE   HARTEBEEST,    (Bubalis  cokei).      Horns   on  skull. 


THE  RAREST  BISON  HEAD 

MR.  Caspar  Whitney's  gift  (Figure  18)  of  a  finely-mounted  head  of  a 
Wood  Bison  constitutes  a  notable  addition.  Few  indeed  are  the  pre- 
served specimens,  mounted  or  unmounted,  which  represent  the  very 
last  important  wild  remnant  of  the  American  Bison  species.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  the  pitifully  small  band  of  about  twenty -five  head  in  the  Yellowstone 
Park, — reduced  from  300  by  the  murderous  attacks  of  poachers  who  ought  to 
be  hanged  as  fast  as  they  can  be  located, — no  other  wild  Bison  remain  alive  save 
the  Canadian  herd  of  the  far  north.  In  the  central  portion  of  the  province  of 
Athabasca,  in  what  is  known  as  the  "Peace  River  Country,"  there  are  a  number 
of  small  herds  of  Bison.  When  Ernest  T.  Seton  penetrated  that  region 
in  1907,  he  saw  three  bands,  and  counted  thirty -five  head,  three  of  which  were 
calves.  Mr.  Seton's  estimate  of  the  total  number  of  Bison  in  that  region  is 
300;  and  that  is  also  the  estimate  of  the  Canadian  Mounted  Police  of  that 
district. 


Heads  and  Horn* 


03 


FIG.  18.— WOOD  BISON  HEAD 


For  some  reason  that  remains  to  be  fully  explained,  the  herds  of  that  re- 
gion are  not  increasing  as  they  should.  In  fact,  the  total  seems  practically  at 
a  standstill.  For  this,  two  causes  have  been  suggested, — poaching,  and  the 
destruction  of  young  stock  by  gray  wolves.  For  the  past  six  years,  the  bison 
of  Athabasca  have  been  protected  by  the  laws  of  the  Canadian  government, 
and  the  bounty  on  gray  wolves,  taken  in  that  region,  has  been  raised  to  $20  per 


64  The  National  Collection 

head.  It  is  understood  that  for  the  future  more  stringent  methods  will  be 
adopted  for  the  prevention  of  poaching. 

Regarding  the  precise  character  of  the  Wood  Bison,  much  remains  to  be 
disclosed,  but  the  cessation  of  all  killing  relegates  the  gathering  of  more 
"material"  to  the  distant  future.  Judge,  then,  the  zoological  value  of  the 
head  presented  by  Mr.  Whitney,  and  of  the  very,  very  few  other  specimens  of 
the  kind  which  possibly  exist  elsewhere.  So  far  as  we  are  aware,  in  the  days 
when  this  so-called  "Wood"  Bison  could  lawfully  be  hunted  and  shot,  no 
sportsman  ever  killed  one.  The  only  complete  specimen  known  to  the  writer 
is  a  huge  mounted  bull  in  the  Government  Museum  at  Ottawa. 

The  head  in  the  National  Collection  shows  one  marked  peculiarity.  The 
hair  of  the  entire  head,  exclusive  of  the  neck  and  chin,  is  remarkably  curly, 
and  of  a  uniform,  deep-black  color.  The  hair  of  the  forehead,  muzzle  and  cheeks 
looks  as  if  it  had  been  gone  over  with  curling-irons.  The  frontlet  is  rather 
short,  suggesting  a  September  growth ;  but  the  beard  is  of  good  length. 

Judging  by  the  horns,  the  animal  was,  when  killed,  about  six  or  seven 
years  old.  The  head  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  and  in  view  of 
all  circumstances  it  is  of  really  priceless  value.  The  measurements  of  the 
horns  are  as  follows: 

Circumference  at  base 15  inches 

Length  on  outer  curve 18^     " 

Greatest  outside  spread 30|     " 

Distance  between  tips 


A  TROPHY  FROM  THE  BARREN  GROUNDS 

IN  the  year  1889,  Mr.  Warburton  Pike  came  from  a  comfortable  London 
club  to  the  wilds  of  Canada,  and  immediately  penetrated  the  Barren 
Grounds  north  of  Great  Slave  Lake  to  the  home  of  the  Musk-Ox.     We 
believe  he  was  the  first  sportsman  who  ever  saw  the  Barren-Ground  Musk- 
Ox  at  home,  the  first  to  describe  that  animal  on  its  native  heath,  and  map  the 
lake  region  northeastward  of  Great  Slave  Lake.     The  terrible  hardships  en- 
dured by  the  daring  explorer  during  his  winter  trip  to  the  Barren  Grounds, 
combined  with  a  wealth  of  valuable  observations,  are  recorded  in  Mr.  Pike's 


Heads  ami 


FIG.  19.— BARREN  GROUNDS  MUSK-OX  HEAD 


first  book  "The  Barren  Grounds  of  Northern  Canada,"  (Macmillan,  1892),  a 
work  that  now  is  justly  famous,  especially  among  sportsmen  and  naturalists. 
Naturally,  the  head  trophies  which  it  is  possible  for  a  hunter  to  bring  out 
of  the  Barren  Grounds  in  midwinter,  are  few  in  number.  The  majority  of 
those  shot  and  preserved  by  Mr.  Pike  were  finally  abandoned  as  the  party 
fled  southward  to  escape  death  by  freezing  or  starvation.  Of  the  few  that 


66  The  National  Collection 

were  saved,  one  of  the  finest  appears  in  Rowland  Ward's  list  of  "record" 
Musk-Ox  heads,  for  the  world,  as  No.  8  from  the  top.  The  trophy  (Figure  19) 
which  Mr.  Pike  selected  to  represent  him  in  the  National  Collection  of  Heads 
and  Horns  is  very  nearly  equal  to  that  mentioned  above. 

One  glance  at  the  long,  wide-sweeping  horns  and  long  brown  hair  of  this 
specimen  is  sufficient  to  convince  any  sportsman  that  it  is  indeed  "one  of  the 
finest."  It  takes  on  additional  interest  from  the  fact  that  it  was  mounted  by 
our  old  friend,  the  late  John  Fannin,  formerly  curator  of  the  Victoria  (B.  C.) 
Museum,  who  by  many  sportsmen  and  naturalists  of  the  United  States  as  well 
as  Canada,  is  affectionately  remembered. 

The  measurements  of  Mr.  Pike's  justly  famous  Musk-Ox  head  are  as 
follows : 

Length  on  curve,  26 J  inches;  widest  outside  spread,  28  inches;  distance 
between  tips,  26 f  inches;  width  across  base,  8^  inches;  circumference  at  base, 
20J  inches. 


A  MAGNIFICENT  BIG  HORN  HEAD 

THERE  is  only  one  English  adjective  which  fitly  and  adequately  describes 
the  Mountain  Sheep  head,  from  Lower  California,  that  has  just  been 
presented  to  this  collection  by  Mr.  George  H.  Gould,  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara. That  word  is  "magnificent."  It  is  not  only  one  of  the  finest  heads  ever 
taken  on  the  American  continent,  but  I  think  that  it  is  probably  the  greatest 
trophy  of  Ovis  canadensis  that  ever  fell  to  the  rifle  of  a  gentleman  sportsman. 
There  are  three  other  very  fine  heads  with  which  the  writer  is  acquainted,  but  all 
of  them  were  taken  by  mercenaries  and  sold  for  what  they  would  bring  in  coin. 
In  the  great  majority  of  cases  it  is  the  local  Indian,  or  "resident"  hunter  or 
guide,  who  has  the  time  to  follow  up  "the  head  of  heads"  until  he  brings  it 
down. 

As  one  sees  the  "Gould  head"  for  the  first  time  (Figure  20),  its  surpassing 
qualities  are  apparent  at  a  glance.  The  horns  are  not  only  of  great  size  and 
length,  but  they  are  absolutely  perfect  in  surface  and  in  general  preservation, 
and  their  splendid  circle  and  outward  spread  are  everything  that  could  be  de- 
sired. We  had  seen  illustrations  of  this  head,  but  it  is  now  clear  that  not  one 
of  them  ever  conveyed  a  more  than  half  adequate  impression  of  the  reality. 


1 1  ends  and  Horns 


FIG.  ->().-LO\\K14  CAI.IFOHMA  BIG-HORN   HKAD 


Already  this  head  is  historic,  and  is  known  to  many  American  sportsmen 
on  both  sides  of  the  continent.  It  was  exhibited  at  the  first  Sportsmen's  Show 
in  New  York,  in  May,  1895,  and  the  judges  of  the  heads  shown  there  by 
"amateur  sportsmen,"  reported  as  follows:  "It  is,  on  the  whole,  the  finest 
head  of  which  we  have  any  record."  Its  official  measurements  were  then  re- 
corded in  "Hunting  in  Many  Lands,"  a  "Book  of  the  Boone  and  Crockett 
Club,"  on  page  428,  as  follows:  girth,  16  J  inches;  length  on  curve,  42|  inches; 
spread.  2.5  :f  inches.  To  those  we  will  add  two  more  that  are  of  importance; 
circumference  18  inches  from  base,  13  inches;  circumference  one  inch  from  tip, 
42  inches. 


68  The  National  Collection 

In  Rowland  Ward's  "Records  of  Big  Game,"  this  head  stands  as  No. 
3  in  a  list  of  55,  which  has  been  arranged  according  to  the  length  on  the  curve. 
The  death  of  this  ram  is  described  by  Mr.  Gould  in  the  "Book  of  the  Boone  and 
Crockett  Club"  for  1905,  on  page  55,  under  the  title  "To  the  Gulf  of  Cortez." 
On  the  brass  plate  affixed  to  the  shield  of  this  gift,  the  donor  has  caused  to  be 
engraved  the  following  inscription:  "Gift  of  George  H.  Gould,  Santa  Bar- 
bara, California.  Shot  December,  1894,  in  eastern  part  of  Lower  California, 
about  latitude  31°,  just  north  of  the  northern  end  of  San  Pedro  Martir 
Mountains." 

Every  sportsman  will  fully  appreciate  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Gould  in 
thus  bestowing,  in  this  collection,  his  most  valuable  trophy.  Not  only  does  it 
stand  for  the  chief  incident  of  a  very  severe  trip,  but  its  intrinsic  value  is  very 
considerable. 


A  NEW  SUB-SPECIES  OF  TAKIN 

FROM  the  Hon.  Mason  Mitchell,  now  American  Consul  at  Chungking, 
China,  but  soon  to  be  transferred  to  Apia,  Samoa,  we  have  received 
what  is  undoubtedly  the  rarest  specimen  thus  far  acquired  by  the 
National  Collection.  It  is  the  entire  skin,  skull  and  horns  of  a  Takin,  from 
the  province  of  Szechuan,  Western  China,  of  a  form  that  is  new  to  science,  and 
which  has  very  recently  been  described  by  Mr.  Lydekker  and  christened 
Budorcas  taxicolor  mitchelli,  in  honor  of  its  discoverer. 

Until  very  recently,  not  one  specimen  of  that  rare  and  curious  creature, 
half  goat  and  half  antelope,  and  larger  than  a  mule  deer,  ever  had  been  killed 
by  a  white  man.  The  species  was  known  solely  by  two  or  three  mounted 
skins,  and  perhaps  a  dozen  pairs  of  horns  that  had  been  taken  by  native  hunt- 
ers and  carried  across  the  border  from  southern  China  into  northeastern 
Assam.  The  "nucleus  collection"  contained  a  pair  of  horns,  as  shown  in  Plate 
IV,  (Fig.  6),  of  Part  I,  but  no  one  looked  forward  to  further  accessions  from 
that  species  at  this  early  date. 

In  a  case  that  has  been  five  months  in  transit,  and  that  looked  as  if  it  had 
come  from  the  farthest  corner  of  the  earth ;  closely  swathed  in  many  thicknesses 
of  cloth,  sewed  up  like  a  mummy  and  smelling  of  the  most  pungent  of  the  pow- 
ders that  are  dealt  in  by  the  Chinese  apothecary  to  keep  off  bugs,  mice  and  rats 


Heads  and  Horns  69 

of  all  sorts,  there  came  to  us  a  whole  skin,  skull  and  horns  of  a  full  grown  male 
Takin.  It  was  shot  by  Mr.  Mitchell  in  the  province  of  Szechuan,  western 
China ;  which  is  many  days  hard  travel  heyond  Chungking,  which  is  1500  miles 
up  the  Yengtse-Kiang  River. 

Judging  from  the  skin  before  us,  this  animal  is  about  the  size  of  a  Sable 
Antelope  (Hippotragus  niger)  ;  and  its  hair  is  straight,  close  and  antelope- 
like.  Budorcas  taxicolor  is  distinguished  by  the  redness  of  its  pelage,  but  B.  t. 
initchelli  may  be  described  as  a  yellowish-gray  animal,  with  rufus  shoulders,  a 
black  or  dark  dorsal  stripe,  and  a  black  face-patch.  Mr.  Mitchell  says  that 
in  Szechuan  both  the  red  and  the  gray  Takin  are  found,  the  former  usually 
being  found  in  small  herds,  the  latter  solitary.  The  type  of  the  new  subspecies 
is  believed  to  be  by  this  date  in  the  British  Museum  of  Natural  History  at 
South  Kensington. 

Unfortunately,  at  this  moment,  it  is  a  practical  impossibility  to  present 
an  illustration  of  this  unique  gift  that  would  adequately  portray  it.  As  soon 
as  the  head  is  mounted,  however,  the  skin  will  be  displayed  beneath  it,  and  both 
will  then  be  fit  subjects  for  the  camera. 


GIFTS  OF  FERDINAND  KAEGEBEHN 

BECAUSE  of  Mr.  Kaegebehn's  special  interest  in  the  Wapiti  group  of  the 
round-horned  deer,  in  the  last  years  of  the  Arizona  Wapiti  of  the  Santa 
Catalina  Mountains  he  secured  a  fine  pair  of  antlers  representing  that 
species.  Although  living  as  late  as  1901,  the  species  is  now  believed  to  be 
(mite  extinct;  and  what  is  still  worse,  there  now  appear  to  be  in  existence  only 
three  pairs  of  its  antlers,  of  which  the  gift  of  Mr.  Kaegebehn  is  one.  Our 
specimen  was  collected  in  1884  by  F.  W.  Heyne,  Superintendent  of  the 
Arizona  Copper  Prince  Mines,  of  Bisbee,  Arizona.  We  are  fortunate  in 
securing  this  rare  and  zoologically  valuable  specimen  of  an  important  Ameri- 
can species  that  was  not  even  described  until  it  was  "already  on  the  verge  of 
extinction."*  It  appears  as  Fig.  2  in  Plate  XVI,  and  its  measurements  are 
as  follows :  Length  on  curve,  left  40f  inches ;  right  37}  inches ;  outside  spread  43 
inches;  circumference  of  burr,  9j  inches,  and  above  burr  9  inches.  It  will  be 


*  E.  W.  Nelson,  in  BULLETIN  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  1902. 


P.  1. 


Heads  and  Horns 


PLATE  XVI 


1  Mule  Deer 

2  Arizona  Wapiti 

3  Olympic  Wapiti 


MISCELLANEOUS   GIFTS 

4  Desert  Mule  Deer 

5  Maral  Deer 

6  Tibetan  Argali 


7  Tibetan  Antelope 

8  Pacific  Walrus  Tusks 

9  Wild  Yak 


Nos.  I,  2,  3,  4,  5  gift  of  Ferdinand  Kaegebehn;  6,  7,  9  gift  of  William  Jamrach; 

8  gift  of  Madison  Grant 


and  Horn  ft  71 

noticed  that  these  antlers  possess  only  one  pair  of  brow  tines,  in  which  it  ap- 
pears to  he  unique  among  the  Wapiti  of  the  world. 

While  the  Olympic  Wapiti,  of  the  Olympic  Mountains,  Washington,  is 
not  entitled  to  the  specific  rank  that  once  was  accorded  to  it,  it  is  highly  desir- 
ahle  that  that  isolated  group  of  Ccrriix  ctiiiddcnxift  should  he  represented  in  this 
collection. 

The  pair  of  Maral  Deer  antlers  (  Plate  XVI,  Fig.  5),  presented  by  Mr. 
Kaegebelm  are  without  a  definite  locality,  hut  their  identity  seems  unmistak- 
able. The  Mule  Deer  antlers  (Plate  XVI.  Fig.  1),  from  Montana,  are  of 
good  si/e  and  symmetry.  The  single  horn  of  an  American  Bison  is  a  very 
large  specimen  with  a  melancholy  history.  It  is  from  the  bull  which  treach- 
erously murdered  Dick  Rock,  the  well-known  ranchman  and  wild-animal  fan- 
cier of  Henry's  Lake,  Idaho. 

In  addition  to  the  interesting  and  valuable  group  of  horns  listed  above, 
Mr.  Kaegebehn  has  presented  a  large  series  of  old  line  engravings  executed  by 
Johann  Elias  Ridinger,  depicting  European  red  deer,  fallow  deer  and  roedeer 
in  their  haunts  and  in  the  chase.  This  may  be  regarded  as  the  first  contribu- 
tion to  a  collection  that  must  be  formed  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  illustrate  the 
rise  and  progress  of  wild-animal  painting  and  sculpture. 

The  full  list  of  Mr.  Kaegebehn's  gifts  is  as  follows: 

ARIZONA  WAPITI,  (Cervus  merriami).  Santa  Catalina  Mountains,  Arizona.  Antlers  and  skull. 
(Plate  XVI,  Fig.  2.) 

OLYMPIC  WAPITI,  (Cervus  canatlensis  occidentalis).  Olympic  Mountains,  Washington.  Ant- 
lers. (Plate  XVI,  Fig.  3.) 

MAHAL  DEER,  (Cervus  elaphas  moral).  Caucasus  Mountains.  Antlers  and  skull.  (Plate 
XVI,  Fig.  5.) 

DESERT  MULE  DEER,  (Odocoileus  hemionus  eremicus).  Tiburon  Island.  Antlers.  (Plate 
XVI,  Fig.  4.) 

Mri.E   DEER,    (Odocoileus  hemionus}.     Montana.     Antlers  and  skull.      (Plate  XVI,  Fig.   1.) 

AMERICAN    BISON,    (Bos   americanus).     Idaho.      Right  horn. 

A  collection  of  old  copper  prints  of  wild  animals,  by  Johann  Elias  Ridinger.  1  large  print,  25 
display-size  prints  and  fifty  folio-size.  Subjects,  principally  remarkable  specimens  of  red 
deer,  fallow  deer  and  roedeer. 


Heads  and  Horns 


PLATE  XVII 


MISCELLANEOUS  GIFTS 


1  American  Wapiti 

2  Wild  Reindeer 


3     Wild  Reindeer 


4  Greater  Kudu 

5  South  American  Marsh  Deer 


No.  1  gift  of  Thomas  D.  Leonard ;  2  gift  of  Fred.  Sauter ;  3  gift  of  Ruthven  W.  Pike ; 
4  gift  of  Alexander  Brown;  5  gift  of  Edgar  F.  Randolph 


MISCELLANEOUS  GIFTS 

From  MADISON  GRANT,  New  York  City : 

PACIFIC  WALRUS.      Tusks.      (Plate  XVI,  Fig.  8.) 

WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP,   (Or/.v  tlalli).     Two  mounted  heads  of  ft-male  and  young. 

The  Walrus  tusks  (Plate  XVI,  Fig.  8)  presented  by  Mr.  Grant  are  of 
extraordinary  length  and  size,  and  beyond  doubt  they  are  among  the  largest 
on  record.  Even  as  they  now  are,  after  about  3J  inches  have  been  sawn  off 
from  the  base  of  each  tusk,  they  measure  31 J  inches  in  length,  and  8£  inches  in 
greatest  circumference.  In  West  Africa  they  would  pass  readily  as  elephant 
tusks.  They  were  collected  in  Bering  Sea  regions  by  the  late  Captain  Z.  L. 
Tanner,  for  many  years  on  duty  in  northern  Pacific  waters  on  the  U.  S.  S. 
Albatross. 

The  two  heads  of  White  Mountain  Sheep  presented  by  Mr.  Grant  are  of 
special  interest  because  they  were  obtained  at  the  "farthest  north"  of  their  spe- 
cies, in  the  extreme  northern  end  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  chain,  about  forty 
miles  west  of  the  Mackenzie  River  and  only  fifty  miles  from  the  Arctic  Ocean! 
So  far  as  we  are  aware,  the  locality  represented  by  these  two  specimens  is  the 
most  northerly  outpost  of  the  Genus  Oris. 


From  THOMAS  D.  LEONARD,  New  York: 

AMERICAN  WAPITI.     Mounted  head.      (Plate  XVII,  Fig.  1.) 

Naturally,  a  National  Collection  of  Heads  and  Horns  formed  in  America 
will  be  expected  to  contain  several  heads  of  an  important  species  like  the  Amer- 
ican Wapiti.  Manifestly  it  is  impossible  for  one  or  two  specimens  adequately 
to  illustrate  the  antlers  of  the  largest  round-horned  deer  of  the  world.  There 
are  antlers  of  several  distinct  types, — the  massive,  the  slender,  the  wide  spread- 
ers, the  antlers  that  are  "cupped"  at  their  extremities,  and  others. 

Mr.  Leonard  has  presented  to  the  collection  its  first  Wapiti  head.  It  was 
selected  by  him  in  the  Jackson  Hole  Country  of  Wyoming,  because  of  its  very 
massive  construction.  In  all  their  upper  tines,  these  antlers  are  unusually 
heavy,  but  unfortunately  no  photograph  adequately  brings  out  this  feature. 
As  every  sportsman  is  aware,  the  antlers  of  greatest  length  are  almost  invari- 
ably rather  slender;  but  I  think  that  in  the  eyes  of  most  hunters,  massiveness 


74  The  National  Collection 

is  regarded  quite  as  desirable  as  slender  length.  By  some — of  whom  the 
writer  is  one — the  longest  horns  are  not  necessarily  to  he  regarded  as  "the 
finest." 


From  HENRY  SAMPSON,  JR.,  and  E.  H.  LITCHFIEI.D,  JR.,  New  York: 

Bio-HoRN    SHEEP,    (Oi'is    ca  n  a  den  sis).      From    the    northeastern    portion    of    Lower    Califor- 
nia, Mexico.     Mounted  head. 

On  November  22,  1907,  Mr.  Sampson  and  Mr.  Litchfield  were  hunting  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  Peninsula  of  Lower  California,  125  miles  south  of 
Calexico.  There  they  killed  nine  fine  mountain  sheep  rams,  representing  what 
appears  to  be  Ovis  canadensis.  Incidentally,  they  were  there  left  in  the  lurch 
by  their  Cocopah  Indians,  who  took  all  the  horses  owned  by  them  and  returned 
to  their  homes,  leaving  the  two  sportsmen  and  their  guide  to  pack  their  equip- 
age and  trophies  on  their  riding  animals,  and  walk  125  miles  back  to  the  rail- 
way. 

Messrs.  Sampson  and  Litchfield  have  presented  to  the  National  Collection 
one  of  their  hard-earned  trophies.  It  is  a  valuable  exhibit,  for  it  represents  the 
sheep  on  the  western  side  of  the  Gulf  barrier  from  the  Pinacate  Mountains. 
Unfortunately  its  mounting  is  not  yet  complete,  and  an  illustration  of  it  must 
therefore  be  deferred  until  the  next  issue  of  this  publication. 

The  horn  measurements  made  in  the  field  by  the  two  sportsmen  are  as 

follows : 

Right  horn.  Left  horn. 

Circumference  at  base 14^  15 

Circumference  15  inches  from  tip lOf  Wj, 

Circumference  1  inch  from  tip 3  3j 

Length  on  curve 34i  33] 

Ears,  2J  inches  wide;  4  inches  high  inside;  41  inches  high  outside. 

In  this  specimen  we  see  no  specific  differences  from  those  taken  on  Pina- 
cate during  the  same  week. 


From  LIEUT.  G.  T.  EMMONS,  U.  S.  N.,  Princeton,  N.  J. : 

Although  it  is  neither  a  head  nor  a  horn,  the  bear  claw  (Figure  21)  pre- 
sented by  Lieut.  Emmons  may  well  find  a  permanent  abiding  place  in  the 
National  Collection.  Of  all  the  claws  ever  seen  by  the  writer,  this  is  the  most 
remarkable.  Even  with  its  base  squared  off,  it  has  a  length  on  the  curve  of 


Heads-  diid  1 1  (trim  75 

10|j  inches,  hut  its  greatest  width  is  only  •;  of  an  inch.  It  forms  a  complete 
and  perfect  circle,  and  the  point  overlaps  the  base  for  an  additional  quarter  of 
a  circle.  Its  color  is  light  brown,  with  streaks  of  a  lighter  shade,  and  it  shows 
no  wear  whatever.  Possibly  this  claw  and  its  mate  were  developed  by  a  bear 
kept  in  captivity;  but  that  theory  seems  hardly  tenable.  The  outer  surface  of 


FIG.  21.— REMARKABLE  BEAR  CLAW 
Two-thirds  natural  size 

the  claw  shows  no  wear;  and  it  is  very  unlikely  that  the  Indians  of  the  Nass 
River  country  ever  would  have  kept  a  live  bear  in  captivity  for  three  or  four 
years. 

Lieut.  Emmons  has  kindly  furnished  with  his  gift  the  following  informa- 
tion regarding  it: 

"It  came  from  the  "Kiskka"  village  of  "lyaush"  on  the  Nass  River,  in 
British  Columbia,  which  is  about  112  miles  from  Fort  Simpson,  at  the  mouth  of 
Portland  Canal.  The  bear  claw  is  attached  to  a  whale-bone  spike  ornamentally 
carved  at  the  head  to  represent  a  bear's  head.  Both  the  claw  and  the  spike  are 
inlaid  with  haliotis  shell.  This  was  worn  as  a  head-dress  ornament  upon  dance 
and  ceremonial  occasions.  Two  such  ornaments  were  used,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  head,  above  the  ear,  stuck  into  a  band  of  fur  or  birds'  down  going  around 
the  forehead.  These  were  old  family  pieces  that  had  been  preserved  through  a 
number  of  generations,  and  were  highly  valued.  The  claw  was  believed  to 
have  been  from  an  immense  frog  that  lived  in  a  mountain  lake  in  the  adjacent 
country.  The  one  I  have  retained  measures  9|  inches  in  length." 


76  The  National  Collection 

From  EDGAR  F.  RANDOLPH,  Morristown,  N.  J. : 

SOUTH  AMERICAN  MARSH  DEER,   (Blastoceros  paludosus).      Antlers.      (Plate  XVII,  Fig.  5.) 
SWAMP  DEER,  (Blastoceros  campestris).     Antlers. 
ADDAX    ANTELOPE,    (Addax    naso-maculatus) .      Horns. 

By  means  of  a  contribution  in  cash  from  Mr.  Randolph,  the  three  rare 
and  very  desirable  specimens  mentioned  above  were  purchased  for  the  Collec- 
tion, from  Fred.  Sauter.  The  antlers  of  the  Swamp  Deer  came  into  Mr. 
Sauter's  hands  "by  accident,  for  the  first  time  in  many  years,"  and  it  was  a 
great  satisfaction  to  be  able  to  secure  them.  The  Marsh  Deer  antlers  (Plate 
XVII,  Fig.  5)  are  unusually  large,  and  the  horns  of  the  desert -born  Addax 
are  rarely  seen  in  collections. 


From  ALEXANDER  BROWN,  Bryn  Mawr,  Penn.: 

GREATER   KUDU,    (Strepsiceros   kudu).     Horns.      (Plate  XVII,  Fig.  4.) 

With  a  cash  contribution  from  Mr.  Brown,  a  great  bargain  in  Kudu  horns 
was  secured.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  by  reason  of  the  need  for  two  com- 
plete series  of  heads  and  horns,  to  be  arranged  geographically  and  zoologically, 
two  specimens  of  each  horned  and  tusked  species  are  absolutely  necessary. 
Mr.  Brown's  gift  provides  our  second  specimen  of  horns  of  the  Greater  Kudu ; 
but  later  on  we  must  look  for  two  mounted  heads,  also. 


From  WILLIAM  JAMRACH,  63  Lordship  Road,  Stoke  Newington,  London : 

WILD  YAK,   (Bos  grunniens).     Horns.      (Plate  XVI,  Fig.  9.) 

TIBETAN  ARGALI,  (Ovis  hodgsoni).     Horns.      (Plate  XVI,  Fig.  6.) 

CHIRU;  TIBETAN  ANTELOPE,  (Pantholops  hodgsoni).     Horns.      (Plate  XVI,  Fig.  7.) 

Mr.  Jamrach's  gift  is  the  first  one  from  beyond  the  Atlantic;  and  it  rep- 
resents the  heart  of  Asia.  For  many  years  Mr.  Jamrach  has  maintained  lines 
of  communication  reaching  into  the  home  of  the  Markhor,  the  Arcal  Sheep, 
the  Tibetan  Argali  and  the  Himalayan  Ibex.  The  Takin  horns  in  the 
"nucleus  collection,"  representing  one  of  the  rarest  and  least  known  large  ani- 
mals of  the  old  world,  came  from  him. 

All  three  of  the  species  represented  by  this  very  interesting  gift  are  new 
to  the  Collection,  and  fill  important  gaps  in  the  zoological  series.  The  Tibetan 
Argali  horns  are  particularly  desirable  in  our  Ovis  series.  They  differ  from 
those  of  the  Siberian  Argali  by  being  much  shorter,  and  also  smaller  at  the  tip. 
But  for  the  rounded  front  angle,  and  their  many  heavy  rings,  they  might 
easily  be  mistaken  for  the  horns  of  our  Rocky  Mountain  Big-Horn,  (O.  cana- 
densis). 


Heads  and  Horns 


77 


From  JAMES  S.  MARTIN,  New  York: 

WHITE   MOI-NTAIN  GOAT,   (Oreamnos  montanus).     9     Cross  River,  B.  C.,  190fi.    Mounted  head. 
YOVNS  MOI-XT.UN  GOAT,  (O.  wjon/anu*).     Same  locality  and  date.     Mounted  li<  ad. 


From  RUTHVEN  W.  PIKE,  Strasburg,  Virginia: 

WILD  REINDEER,   (Rangifer  tarandus).     Antlers.      (Plate  XVII,  Fig.  3.) 

These  antlers  were  obtained  from  Fred.  Sauter,  who  also  presented  an- 
other pair,  with  the  statement  that  they  were  the  largest  that  ever  had  come 
into  his  possession. 

From  FRED.  SAUTER,  New  York: 

WILD  REINDEER,   (R.  tarandus).     Antlers.      (Plate  XVII,  Fig.  2.) 

These  two  pairs  fit  in  excellently  with  the  antlers  of  Caribou  already  in 
the  collection,  and  supply  both  the  zoological  and  geographical  needs. 


From  JOHN  M.  PHILLIPS,  Pittsburg,  Pa. : 

PHONG-HORNED  ANTELOPE,  (Antilocapra  ameri- 
f«Hrt)  from  the  Pinacate  Mountains,  N.  W. 
Mexico.  Mounted  head.  (Figure  22.) 

This  head  is  of  special  interest  be- 
cause of  the  locality  from  which  it  came. 
The  Antelope  of  Pinacate,  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  Gulf  of  California,  represent 
one  of  the  southern  outposts  of  the  genus 
Antilocapra.  In  the  state  of  Chihuahua 
it  reaches  much  farther  southward,  but  at 
Pinacate  its  advance  southward  is  abrupt- 
ly halted  by  the  deserts  and  barren  moun- 
tains that  border  the  Gulf. 

The  head  shot  and  presented  by 
Mr.  Phillips  is  very  odd-looking,  even  for 
an  Antelope.  The  horns  do  not  curve 
over  at  the  tip,  but  they  are  studded  with 
many  small  black  points,  in  a  manner 
never  observed  bv  the  writer  in  northern 


FIG.  22.— PRONG-HORNED  ANTELOPE 


78  The  National  Collection 

specimens.  The  neck  is  small,  and  the  hair  is  short  and  thin,  but  the  mark- 
ings are  practically  the  same  as  those  found  on  northern  specimens.  This  is 
the  first  head  that  has  been  brought  out  of  the  Pinacate  district,  arid  it  may 
also  easily  happen  that  it  is  the  last. 


From  C.  WILIJAM  BEEBE,  New  York : 

TRINIDAD  WHITE-TAILED  DEER,  (Odocoileus  nemorivega).      Two  skulls,  with  antlers. 

In  view  of  the  many  American  naturalists  who  have  collected  on  the 
Island  of  Trinidad  for  various  museums,  it  seems  rather  strange  that  Mr. 
Beebe's  specimens  should  be  the  first  of  their  kind  ever  brought  to  the  United 
States!  The  antlers  are  remarkable  for  their  similarity  in  form  to  those  of 
the  Tunkas  Brocket,  (Odocoileus  rufmus],  being  only  small,  straight  spikes  of 
bone,  3  inches  in  length,  and  destitute  of  branches.  The  skull  of  this  species, 
however,  is  very  much  larger  than  that  of  the  Brocket.  The  heaviest  of  these 
deer  weighed,  entire,  80  pounds,  and  the  other  77. 


From  DEXTER  M.  GLEASON,  Woodford,  Vermont: 

WHITE-TAILED   DEER,    (Odocoileus  virginianus).      First  antlers. 

These  horns  are  remarkable  for  their  length,  as  "dag"  antlers.     The  right 
antler  has  been  broken,  but  the  left  measures  11 J  inches. 


A  LIST  OF  THE  HEADS,  HORNS 

AND  OTHER  TROPHIES  PRESENTED  TO 

THE  NATIONAL  COLLECTION  OF  HEADS  AND  HORNS, 

FROM  APRIL  1,  1907,  TO  JULY  1,  1908. 


BISON,   BUFFALOES   AND   OTHERS 


GENUS  BOS. 


ABYSSINIAN  BUFFALO. — Bos  equinoctialii.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.     Scalp. 
WILD  \.\K.--H.   •frunnu'iis.      William  Jamrach.     Horns.  [Plate  XVI,  Fig.  <).] 

WOOD  BISON. — B.  americanus.     Caspar  Whitney.     Mounted  head.  [Fig.  18.] 

AMERICAN   BISON. — B.  americanus.     Ferdinand  Kaegebehn.     Horn. 


GKXUS  Ol'IBOS. 


BARREN-GROUNDS    MusK-Ox. — Oribos   moscliatus. 
Warburton   Pike.     Mounted  head. 


[Fig.  19.] 


MOUNTAIN    SHEEP 


GENUS  OJ'IS. 


Horns. 


SIBERIAN  ARGALI. — Ovis  ammon.     John  R.  Bradley. 

Mounted  head. 

TIBETAN  ARGALI. — 0.  liodgsoni.     William  Jamrach. 
BIG-HORN  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  canadensis. 

George   H.   Gould.     Mounted   head. 
BIG-HORN  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  canadensis. 

Henry  Sampson,  Jr.,  and  E.  H.  Litchfield,  Jr.     Mounted  head. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  dalli  kenaiensis.     Emerson   McMillin. 


[Plate  XIV,  Fig.  5.] 

[Plate  XVI,  Fig.  6.] 
[Fig.  20. J 


Mounted  head. 


WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  d.  kenaientit. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  d.  kenaiensis. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  d.  kenaiensis. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  d.  kenaiensis. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  d.  kenaiensis. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  d.  kenaiensis. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  d.  kenaiensis. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  d.  kenaiensis. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  d.  kenaiensis. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — O.  dalli. 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  SHEEP. — 0.  dalli. 


Emerson  McMillin.  Mounted  head. 

Emerson  McMillin.  Mounted  head. 

Emerson  McMillin.  Horns,  skull,  sealp. 

Emerson  McMillin.  Horns,  skull,  scalp. 

Emerson  McMillin.  Horns,  skull,  scalp. 

Emerson  McMillin.  Horns,  skull,  scalp. 

Emerson  McMillin.  Horns,  skull,  scalp. 

Emerson  McMillin.  Horns,  skull,  scalp. 

Emerson  McMillin.  Horns,  skull,  scalp. 
Madison  Grant.     Mounted  head.      9 

Madison  Grant.     Mounted  head.     Juv. 


WILD  GOATS 

GENUS  OREAMNOS. 

WHITE   MOUNTAIN   GOAT. — Oreamnos  montanus.     James  S.  Martin.     Mounted  head.      9 
WHITE  MOUNTAIN  GOAT. — O.  montanus.     James  S.  Martin.     Mounted  head.     Juv. 

GENUS  BUDORCAS. 

TAKIN. — Budorcas   taxicolor  mitclielli.      Hon.  Mason  Mitchell,  Chungking,  China. 
Skull,  horns,  skin. 


80  The  National  Collection 

ANTELOPES 
GENUS  BUBALIS. 

COKE    HARTEBEESTE. — Bubalis   cokei.     John   R.    Bradley.  [Plate  XIV,  Fig.  2.] 

Mounted  head. 
COKE  HARTEBEESTE. — B.  cokei.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.  [Plate  XV,  Fig.  2.] 

Mounted  head.       $ 

COKE    HARTEBEESTE. — B.    cokei.     John    W.   Norton.      Horns  and  skull. 
TORA  HARTEBEESTE. — B.  tora.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.      Horns  and  skull. 

GENUS  COBUS. 

WHITE-EARED  COB. — Cobus  leucotis.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.  [Plate  XV,  Fig.  3.] 

Mounted  head. 
COMMON  WATERBUCK. — C.  ellipsiprymnus.  [Plate  XV,  Fig.  1.] 

George  L.   Harrison,  Jr.     Mounted  head. 
COMMON  WATERBUCK. — C.  ellipsiprymnus.     John    R.    Bradley.  [Plate  XIV,  Fig.  4.] 

Mounted  head. 

COMMON  WATERBUCK. — C.  ellipsiprymnus.  John  W.  Norton.  Skull,  horns  and  scalp. 
COMMON  WATERBUCK. — C.  ellipsiprymnus.  John  W.  Norton.  Skull,  horns  and  scalp. 
CRAWSHAY  WATERBUCK. — C.  crawshayi.  John  W.  Norton.  Skull,  horns  and  scalp. 

GENUS  CERVICAPRA. 

REEDBUCK. — Cervicapra    arundinum.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.      Skull  and  horns. 
WARD  REDUNCA  ANTELOPE. — C.  redunca  wardi.      John  W.   Norton. 

Skull,  horns  and  scalp. 
WARD  REDUNCA  ANTELOPE. — C.  redunca  wardi.      John  W.   Norton.      Horns  on  skull. 

GENUS  AEPYCEROS. 

PALA,  OR  IMPALA. — Aepyceros  melampus .     John  R.  Bradley.  [Plate  XIV,  Fig.  1.] 

Mounted  head. 

PALA,  OR  IMPALA. — Ae.  melampus.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.     Scalp. 
PALA,  OR  IMPALA. — Ae.  melampus.     John  W.  Norton.     Skull,  horns  and  scalp. 
PALA,  OR  IMPALA. — Ae.  melampus.     John  W.  Norton.     Horns  on  skull. 

GENUS  GAZELLA. 

ADDRA  GAZELLE. — Gasella  ruficollis.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.  [Plate  XV,  Fig.  10.] 

Mounted  head.      $ 
ADDHA  GAZELLE. — G.  ruficollis.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.  [Plate  XV,  Fig.  7-] 

Mounted  head.      9 
DORCAS  GAZELLE. — G.  dorcas.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.  [Plate  XV,  Fig.  5.] 

Mounted  head.      $ 

DORCAS  GAZELLE. — G.  dorcas.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.     Horns.      [Plate  XV,  Fig.  1 1.] 
RED-FRONTED  GAZELLE. — G.  rufifrons.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.        [Plate  XV,  Fig.  8.] 

Mounted  head.       $ 
THOMSON  GAZELLE. — G.  thomsoni.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.  [Plate  XV,  Fig.  6.] 

Mounted  head.      $ 
SOEMMERRING  GAZELLE. — G.  soemmerringi.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr. 

Skull,  horns,  scalp. 
GRANT  GAZELLE. — G.  granti.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.  [Plate  XV,  Fig.  4-.] 

Mounted  head.      $ 
GRANT  GAZELLE. — G.  granti.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.  [Plate  XV,  Fig.  9.] 

Mounted  head.      $ 

GRANT  GAZELLE. — G.  granti.     George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.     Horns. 
GRANT  GAZELLE. — G.  granti.     John  W.  Norton.     Skull,  horns,  scalp. 
GRANT  GAZELLE. — G.  granti.     John  W.  Norton.     Skull,  horns,  scalp. 

GENUS  HIPPOTRAGUS. 

BAKER  ROAN  ANTELOPE. — Hippotragus  bakeri.     John  W.  Norton. 
Skull,  horns  and  scalp. 


Heads  and  Horns  gj 

GENUS  TRAGELAPHUS. 

ABYSSINIAN  BUSHBUCK.— Tragelaplius  scriptus  decula.     George  L.  Harrison    Ir 
Skull,  horns. 

GENUS  STREPSICEROS. 

GREATER  KUDU.—  Strepsiceros  kudu.     Alexander  Brown.     Horns.     [Plate  XVII   Fig  4  1 
GREATER  KUDU.— S.  kudu.     John  W.  Norton.     Skull,  horns  and  scalp. 

GENUS  TAUROTRAGUS. 

COMMON  ELAND.— Taurotragus  oryx.     John  \V.  Norton.     Skull,  horns  and  scalp. 
GENUS  ADDAX. 

AvDAx.—Addax    naso-maculatus.     Edgar  F.  Randolph.      Horns. 
GENUS  PANTHALOPS. 

CHIRU. — Panthalops    hodgsoni.     William  Jamrach.     Horns.  [Plate  XVI,  Fig.  7.] 

GENUS  ANTILOCAPRA. 

PRONG-HORNED    ANTELOPE.— Antilocapra  americana.     John  W.  Norton. 

Mounted  head.       9 
PRONG-HORNED  ANTELOPE. — A.  americana.     John  M.  Phillips.  [Fig.  22.] 

Mounted  head. 

CARIBOU   AND   MOOSE 
GENUS  RANGIFER. 

OSBORN    CARIBOU. — Rangifer    osborni.     Emerson  McMillin.     Mounted  head.      [Fig.  17.] 

GRANT  CARIBOU. — R.  granti.     Emerson   McMillin.     Mounted  head.     \ 

GRANT  CARIBOU. — R.  granti.     Emerson  McMillin.     Mounted  head.    /   ^       p] 

GRANT  CARIBOU.— R.  granti.     Emerson  McMillin.     Mounted  head.    > 

GRANT  CARIBOU. — R.  granti.     Emerson  McMillin.     Mounted  head.    \  X  and  XI 

GRANT  CARIBOU. — R.  granti.     Emerson  McMillin.     Mounted  head.    J 

WILD  REINDEER. — R.  tarandus.     Ruthven  W.  Pike.     Antlers.  [Plate  XVII,  Fig.  3.] 

WILD   REINDEER. — R.   tarandus.     Fred.  Sauter.     Antlers.  [Plate  XVII,  Fig.  2.] 

GENUS  ALCES. 

ALASKAN   MOOSE. — Alces  americanus  gigas.     Emerson  McMillin.  [Fig-  15-] 

Mounted  head. 

ALASKAN  MOOSE. — A.  a.  gigas.  Emerson  McMillin.  [Plate  IX.] 

Antlers,  skull  and  scalp. 

ALASKAN  MOOSE. — A.  a.  gigas.  Emerson  McMillin.  Antlers,  skull  and  scalp. 

ALASKAN  MOOSE. — A.  a.  gigas.  Emerson  McMillin.  Antlers,  skull  and  scalp. 

ALASKAN  MOOSE. — A.  a.  gigas.  Emerson  McMillin.  Antlers,  skull  and  scalp. 

ALASKAN  MOOSE. — A.  a.  gigas.  Emerson  McMillin.  Antlers,  skull  and  scalp. 

DEER 
GENUS  CERVUS. 

ARIZONA  WAPITI. — Cervus  merriami.     Ferdinand  Kaegebehn.  [Plate  XVI,  Fig.  2.] 

Antlers  and  skull. 
OLYMPIC  WAPITI. — C.  canadensis  occidentalis.  [Plate  XVI,  Fig.  S.] 

Ferdinand  Kaegebehn.     Antlers. 
AMERICAN  WAPITI. — C.  canadensis.     Thomas  D.  Leonard.  [Plate  XVII,  Fig.  1.] 

Mounted  head.      $ 

AMERICAN    WAPITI. — C.   canadensis.     John  W.  Norton.     Mounted  head.      9 
MARAL  DEER. — C.  elaphus  moral.     Ferdinand  Kaegebehn.  [Plate  XVI,  Fig.  5.] 

Antlers  and  skull. 


82 


The  National  Collection 


GENUS  BLASTOCEROS. 

MARSH  DEER.  —  Blastoceros  paludosus. 

Antlers. 

SWAMP   DEER.  —  B.   campestris.     Edgar    F.   Randolph. 
GENUS  ODOCOILEUS. 

MULE   DEER.  —  0.   hemionus.      Ferdinand  Kaegebehn. 
DESERT  MULE  DEER.  —  O.  hemionus  eremicus. 

Ferdinand    Kaegebehn.     Antlers. 
MULE   DEER.  —  0.  hemionus.      John  W.    Norton. 
WHITE-TAILED    DEER.  —  Odocoileus    virginianus. 

Skull  and  "dag"  antlers. 

TRINIDAD  WHITE-TAILED  DEER.  —  0.  nemorivega. 
TRINIDAD  WHITE-TAILED  DEER.  —  O.  nemorivega. 


Edgar  F.   Randolph.  [Plate  XVII,  Fig.  ;>.] 


Antlers. 


Antlers. 


[Plate  XVI,  Fig.  1.] 
[Plate  XVI,  Fig.  4.] 


Mounted  head.       2 
Dexter  M.  Gleason. 

C.  William  Beebe. 
C.  William  Beebe. 


Antlers  and  skull. 
Antlers  and  skulls. 


GENUS  FELIS. 

EAST  AFRICAN  LION.  —  Felis  leo. 


FELINES 

George  L.  Harrison,  Jr.     Two  skulls. 


BEARS 

Ursus    merriami   ? 


GENUS  URSUS. 

ALASKAN    BROWN    BEAR. 

Mounted  head. 
ALASKAN  BROWN  BEAR.  —  U.  merriami   ? 

Mounted  head. 
ALASKAN  BROWN  BEAR.  —  U.  merriami   ? 

Mounted  head. 
ALASKAN  BROWN  BEAR.  —  U.  merriami   ? 

Mounted  head. 
ALASKAN  BROWN  BEAR.  —  U.  merriami   ? 

Mounted  head. 
ALASKAN  BROWN  BEAR.  —  U.  merriami   ? 

Rug;  head  mounted. 
ALASKAN  BROWN  BEAR.  —  U.  merriami   ? 

Rug;  head  mounted. 
ALASKAN  BROWN  BEAR.  —  L7.  merriami   ? 

Rug;  head  mounted. 

ALASKAN  BROWN  BEAR.  —  U.  merriami   ? 
ALASKAN  BLACK  BEAR.  —  U.  americanus. 

Mounted  head. 
ALASKAN  BEAR.  —  Ursus  ?     Lieut.  G.  T.  Emmons,  U.  S.  N. 

Extraordinary  bear  claw. 


Emerson  McMillin.      [Plate  XII,  Fig.  1.] 
Emerson   McMillin.  [Plate  XII,  Fig.  2.] 

Emerson  McMillin. 


Emerson  McMillin. 

Emerson  McMillin. 

Emerson  McMillin. 

Emerson  McMillin. 

Emerson  McMillin. 

Emerson  McMillin. 

Emerson  McMillin. 


[Plate  XII,  Fig.  3.] 
[Plate  XII,  Fig.  4.] 
[Plate  XII,  Fig.  5.] 
[Fig-  Jti.] 


Skull.  [Plate  XII.  1 

[Plate  XII,  Fig.  6.] 

[Fig.  21.] 


GENUS  ODOBAENUS. 

PACIFIC  WALRUS.  —  0.  obesus. 
PACIFIC  WALRUS.  —  0.  obesus. 


WALRUS 

Emerson   McMillin. 
Emerson  McMillin. 


Mounted  head. 
Mounted  head. 


PACIFIC  WALRUS.  —  0.  obesus.     Emerson  McMillin.     7  pairs  of  tusks. 
PACIFIC   WALRUS.  —  0.   obesus. 


[Plate  XIII.] 
[Plate  XIII.  1 
[Plate  XIII.] 
[Plate  XVI,  Fig.  8.] 
[Plate  XIV,  Fig.  3.] 


Madison  Grant.     Pair  of  tusks. 

ATLANTIC    WALRUS.  —  Odobaenus    rosmarus.     John  R.  Bradley. 
Mounted  head.      $ 

SUMMARY 

BISON,  BUFFALOES  AND  OTHERS  ........................................................       5  Species  5  Specimens 

MOUNTAIN  SHEEP   ............................................................................       5  Ifi 

GOATS    ................................................................................................        2  "                  3 

ANTELOPES    ........................................................................................     21  38 

CARIBOU,  MOOSE  AND  DEER  ..............................................................      14  "               27 

FELINES  ..............................................................................................        1  2 

BEARS    ................................................................................................        2  "                11 

WALRUS  ..............................................................  .  ...............................       2  11 


53 


113 


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