Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-03
BIG GAME GOING.
The determination of Elephants and Giraffes
in Africa.

In Africa.
From the Biographical Mayazine.
An article by Mr.. Bry 1en in the last proceed
ings of the British Geological Society SAYS the
days of the giraffe are numbered. A few wears
ago herd of seventy or eighty of them were often
met in various parts of Africa. Dryden says
that nineteen CRATES are now large herd
They have been hunted so merci-
sportsmen, that they are rapidly be-
coming extinct. The intelligent African king.
khama, has, however, taken the giraffe under
his protection and hopes to save it from exter-
mination. He has forbidden the hunting Of the
giraffe in his large domain, and in this way he
hopes they will multiply in his country. 1t is
an interesting fact that Russia has preserved
the European bison from extinction by setting
apart forest in Lithuania for them and per-
uniting no one to modest them.
It has been very generally believed. saws a
writer in q recent number of the Great Divide
that the bison has become practically extinct,
but that belief does not appear to be borne out
by facts. Not very long ago Capt. Anderson
sent out Burgess. the civilian scout attached to
the post in the National or Yellowstone Park in
Wyounag, to make a journey south of the
Hayden valley. The purpose of the trip
WAS to see whether any signs Of poachers
could be found and also incidentally to dis
cover what could be learned as to the game
in the open country to the south. The
scout has lately returned and made his re-
port, which is to the effect that there is an
abundance of elk, in the Hayden valley, but
1t is in respect to the bison that his discoveries
are most encouraging. In the Hayden valley
he saw and approached quite close to several
herds of bison, which he counted. One Of
these contained IS animals. a second so, a third
ITO and fourth l5 Besides these, several
single bisous were seen, and at quite distance
some other scattering groups which could not
be counted. Mr.. Burgess does not hesitate to
say that he saw fully 800 animals.
1t Is not to be supposed that at the time Of
this visit anywhere near all the bison in the
park were collected in the HAYDEN valley, and
it is altogether reasonable to believe that there
are 100 and perhaps 800 other buffalo in the
park besides those which Mr.. Burgess saw.
Taking, however, the lowest number there
would be 400 buffaloes in the National
Park at the present time. This is be-
heved to be a conservative estimate and
to be considerably under the truth.
These bisons are TO be divided into six classes
calves. yearlings, two-year-olds, ihree-year-
us, at tie lowest estimate, from fifty
TO seventy breeding cows. Whife all these
COWS may not produce calves each
year, they must represent an annual in
crease of at least thirty to forty head. This
is taking the most unfavorable view Of the
number of COWS and the rate at which they
breed. Mr.. Burgess is entirely disposed to
think that the calf crop among the bisons of
the National Park this year will be from as
to 100 animals However this may be il is quite
clear that there is in the National Park. living
under entirely natural conditions and vet pro-
tected from attacks by man, breeding stock
OF bisons sufficiently large to keep that reserva-
ton fully stocked for all time. condition which
cannot fail to be very gratifying.