Washington sentinel., 1898-06-18
animal Acclimstization at woburn
Abbey.

During the last four years the
Duke of Bedford has carried out
a scheme of animal acclimatization
in the park OF Woburn Abbey on
scale never before attempted IN
this country. Birds as we'll as
quadrupeds are the subjects oi
this experiment, and the magnih'
cent pheasants of India and China
haunt the woods in large numbers.
But the greater mum Der OF the
animals are various kinds OF deer,
OF which no fewer than thirty-one
species are in the open park or
paddocks - bison, zebras, ante
lopes, wild sheep, and goats, and
yaks. The novelty and freshness
OF this experiment consists not
only in the accumulation Of such
number of species, interesting as
this is to the naturalist, but in their
way of lite, Tree and unconfined in
an English park. That is the lot
oi the greater number OF the ami
mails at Woburn, some being en-.
tirely free and wandering at large,
like the native red deer and fallow
deer, while the others, though TOR
the present in separate enclosures,
are in "res eTves" 50 spacious, and
so lightly though effectively sep
arated, that they have appearance
OF ENJOYING the same degree Of
liberty Almost the first question
which suggests itself is-What is
the general effect of this gathering
of oversee animals, from the Airi-
IAN veldt and Indian hills, the
ManchuTian mountains and North
American prairies. and from wild
animal land 9u0d Unique est, on the
green pastures and under the elms
and oaks round the home OF a
great English family? Briefly, we
may say that the effect IS magni6-
cent. During the journey back
by train through Bediordshire and
Buckinghamshire, the valleys and
meadows stocked with our ordi-
nary domestic animals seem soil
tarY and deserted after the eye has
rested for hours on the varied and
impressive forms that crowd the
slopes, groves and glades of this
fine park. This effect is due in
part to the largeness OF the scale
ON which the stocking OF Woburn
with wild animals has been carried
out. In the phrase of the farmer,
the park "carrie7 a larger head" of
animals than is commonly seen on
a similar area, even in the richest
pastures. The scene recalls the
descriptions of the early travellers
in Southern Africa, when the large
fauna roamed there in unbroken
numbers, and with little tear of
man. The coub d'aH in parts OF
he park where the animals gather
thickest is so striking that the
mind descends reluctantly to the
Identification OF the species, or to |
details OF dates, origin and man.
agement. From one position, |
looking up a long green slope |
towards the abbey, there could be |
seen at the time OF the writer's
last visit between two and three
hundred animals, both birds and
beasts, feeding or sleeping within
sight OF the immediate front of the
spe ectator- These varied in species
from cranes, storks, and almost |
every known species Of swan, to
wapiti stags, antelopes and zebras,
walking. sitting galloping, feed
ing or sleeping. For quite half
mile up the white swans and
other wild fowl we're dotted
among the deer and other rumin-
nants, presenting strange and
most attractive example of the
real paradise" which animals will
make Tor themselves when only
the good beasts" are selected to
live together.
The creatures in this animal
Arcadia were grouped nearly as
follows: In the foreground was a
large pool, circular, with clayey
banks, one OF chain OF ponds of
all sizes, from that of fishpond to
A large lake which lies lower in the
park. On and around this pool
were many species OF swans, and
eight of foreign geese; but the
greater number of these were scat
tered, as we have said. over some
hundred acres of park. In the
centre Of the pond sat a cormorant,
and on the grass by the margin
some gigantic cranes with crimson
nea ds and grey wings we're running
and dancing" in honor of the sun,
which was making its first appear
ance in four days. On the hill to
he lett, where the abbey lies, were
five distinct herds of deer. Three
Of these were iallow bucks and
does. One herd was of red deer,
and hybrids between the red deer
md the wapti. On the skyline
we're a herd of pure bred wapiti,
with three huge stags, their horns
ust cleaned from the velvet. In
he centre SLOPE, in diminishing
till they appeared mere
lots among the trees, were mixed
groups OF Japanese deer, the same
,reed which had thriven so re-
in the parks of Sir Ed
ward Loder and Lord Powers
court, fallow bucks and does, red
ieer, both "red" and pure white,
,l which variety the park holds a
number, few other
md smaller foreign deer, and a
.roup OF FIVE nylghau antelopes
rom Inc ia. Three OF these were
eddish gray in color, while two
we're real "blue bulls" very fine