Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-04-21
Written for The EvTSrSa STAR
WILD ANIMAL LIES AND
LIARS.
ICopyrght, lsssI
BIZ WILLIAM T. HoRNADAY,

The man who goes forth to hunt wild animals
OF all kinds for their skins and skeletons VIII near
more lies per diem about animals than any other
person living. Being Obliged 20 select his hunt-
Ing grounds according to his Information. and 10
gather that from all sorts and conditions Of men
as he goes along his environment Is especially
adaDted 10 the harmonious development" OF
sswhoppers." No matter where you go. II you
snow yourself DESTROYS OF obtaining definite infor
nation about living creatures you are sure 10
meet individuals OF a certain class who think it
smart To s.l up" every traveller with absurd lies
Jrtbey think you Will print II all in a book when
you get home, they feel that having fooled trav-
e!er TO the top OF his bent they can die happy.
You viii meet these "tOO-cute-for-an thing" liars
IN all parts OF the globe that are inhabited by
noble savage has not yet rissn the height of this
accomplishment. You Will md him everywhere,
IRON GreenlaDd's icy mountains 10 lndia's coral
strand ana speaking every civilized language.
II you don't believe II the next time you are in a
game country Just let II be known IN mixed COM
pany that you want precise Information about
game, past and present, and see IL the cute liar
dos not bob up serenely. As certain Teutonic
gnuuaintance OF mine always used 10 say when
ever the name OF any western game animal was
mentioned, "rve seen to1sands und tOusands NV
'emi"
But mind you, do not allude 20 the cute liar In
a complaining spirit for, unless he crowds the
Inourners too hard, ne, Ike Artemus Wards kan
uaroo n "a most amoosin' cuss." Many a dull
hour mas he helped me 10 Kill In lonesome back
woods bar-rooms, and all the reward he asked for
good listener. II man tells an interesting but
harmless lie or a story that you yourself have told
asoousand iines, puIeiy 70 Lhteres5 you tne gem
courteous listener. But still II as sometimes hard
% SIT through wicked, damned, palpaole lie"
without finching, at the imminent risk OF being
put down as fool. and many times have ionged
10 sxclaim, In the courteous and affable language
the gentle Carlyle once used to venerable talker
who sat near him at a grand dinner what you
have been saying Is the weaTieSt trash In the
world" And l shal never forget how blunt
% the close OF q cute liars lOng-winded infection
py snorting out, 'Ohi what rOt!"
When other animals begin to grow scarce you
can ind q deal Of amusement n studying up the
natural classification OF wild-animal liars. Let
ings OF any OF them for the world, and there is
danger OF my doing so now. for they never read
nrsi-elaSs newspaper, and this garrulous gossip
viii Deyer meet their eyes
In all countries the mutitndlnous liars are the
most numerous, because IL is more simple and
easy 10 astonish the natives with lie about the
marvellous abundance OF game or the number OF
head killed In day than 10 enter the dangerous
held OF the exploiter. The multitudnous mar is a
simple Munchausen in figures, and his genius is OF
a low order. He Is generally mOrOse and unhappy,
for wherever he shows his hand, so many competi-
forced to leave the field in disgust He possesses
one marked popularity, and tnaI Is hts total ina
Samoer that viii make You stare and gasp or none
At all II he wants 10 send you to a certain dis
Jrtct he Tells you that you win find the animals
YOU want ain millions. sir; miIliOnsl You can get
all you want In one day."
Once after having spent six weeks In and around
Cuba, chasing aCout TO find manatee. TO be
varded by ons solitary specimen, and only one,
met afellow-eountryInan In Havana, who Claimed
90 De a newspaper Correspondent VITA most
charming and lovable frankneS5 he demanded 10
know "what are you doing bere:" and when said
had been trying TO find manatre he exclaimed,
81 have seen more manatees IN this island than
have hairs on my head, COR about 1900, whereas,
IN reality about two per year constitute the whole
.-Oh, that's nothing said, IA friend Of mine
over here on the Isle OF Pines once had q, 900 IN
one herd. but the foot-rot got amongst them two
years ago. and last year they every one died I
saw their carcasses up on the mountains only last
Prom the way that aledged correspondent glazed
At me for the next i've minutes felt that got
square with him at all events.
The most amusing liar OF this kind that ever
met was q little, Insignificant, cOckeyed English
nan who infested the hotel at which we stopped
IN Colombo. HIS fayorite field OF conquest was
the dinner table. with about fifteen diners deck
NO matter what observation or experience was
related Farthing always reserved the right TO put
On the cap sheaf, no matter what effort it cost.
There was nothing small about him except him
self Finally he did this so often that IL grew TO
Do standing Joke when he was not present; but
at last he got his Quietus, and from quiet, old
fashioned American boy twelve years old, the son
OF ship captain then present. and was the inno-
crocodile shooting, remarked that it was very
difcuh thing 20 SIll crocodiles and get them the
best days work that had ever done even where
they were the thickesJ, being the shooting and Sc
curing OF six specimens Farthing, who mad been
Ss record ns az [de e ana t
when j was IN Australia once killed and GOT
IN my hands hundred and twenty-seyen croco-
Joe Brown looked mp sGlkily from his plate Of
curry and slowly exclaimed, half under his breath
.aOh, Qfre q rsStr'
And the shout that went up was heard clear out
TO the end OF the new breakwater.
Next 70 the multitudinous type comes the eolos-
sal liar, whose speciality is the breeding and rear
ing Of gigantic individual animals. To his tape
line, scales and long bow We owe all our ffteen-
root tigers (nye feet TOO long, elephants fourteen
feet high Uen feet twois the maximum for Elephus
,ndicls, twenty-two-foot alligatOrs fourteen feet
record), grizzly bears that weigh ton. PAINTERS
twelve feet long In the flesh ninefoot rattle5nakes
seven-pound trout and many Others too numerous
TO mention. The above figures may arouse the
suspicion that i have created them to serve nv
special purpose, but such Is not the case They
have all been given 10 me seriously as recording
the absolute dimensions and weights OF the ami.
mails named above. was expected 10 record them
for the benent Of science, and, as you see, have
The most audacious lie ever heard was told me
by an Italian who claimed 10 have Travelled in
Africa In the presence of over twenty witnesses
he declared that in the lake region OF Central
Africa. while stopping at the house OF wealthy
docile and so Intelligent that IL had been trained
10 wait upon the table Ike a servant, which it did
daily during his stay. The senior made a slight
mistake In the temper OF the animal for OF all saw
age, snllen. contrary and wholly intractable wild
animals ever caught and Gagged a fuli-grown go
rlla Is said 10 be tie worst They sullenly refuse
food and die In a very short time.
Under the head Of exploit liars may be classed
sOsc no Ot reason Oh dlhletlc prOcllvitteS. SINH
lar 10 those OF Prof John l.. sullivan Cpugist TO
his royal highness the Prince OF Wales love to
tell Hes about their individual exploits These
are usually men OF good Imaginative powers
often close observers, too, and upon my soul what
they coin Is often very interesting. When the
narrator IL careful and consistent the stranger
cannot tell which the lies are unless they have
some OF the little brands and ear-marks fhaf
nearly every lie bears somewhere upon its anar
omy. ~ ~
sometimes, however you meet with a bold had
exploit lie 50 p4lpable and glazing that YOU can
recognize IL half a nile away with the naked eve
IL Was one OF this kind that was once told 10 a
mixed company In the shaking room of a p and
". steamer In the Bay OF Bengal The narrator
called himself an AnglO-lndlan Journalist M our
knights Of the editorial quill will kindly pardon
the statement, and We had discovered early in the
day that he had sporting prOclivities, ana had em
Dad As q romancist never saw his equal and
he had an innocent anectat1on OF great modesty
and self-depreciation with &c all that was most
amusing. He II was, II mistake not who once
when walking unarmed through thick Jungle sud
quarters; Dut catching the beasts eye, fixed him
with the magnetic power Of his own 1erce and
masterful gaze, held him at bay untfl the man
eater gradually weakened, and by sunset was
dead-killed by stony British stare.
Yea" ne said modestly In response to a wicked
question Tive had a little TO DO with tiger 10
Gwalior way. and though do say lr myself there
are not many men who have bagged more than i
have" ~
did you ever have any narrow escapes.y
-Hsruly ever, hardly ever. In fact never had
one worth mentioning"
Then you never hunt tigers on foot, supposeer