Washington sentinel., 1900-07-21
49,, SENTINEL
r-ncle snm,s z,olngLeal Parls

Uncle Sam wants a walrus. One
will do, though he would like
two or three. Also, he desires a
sea otter or two, with certain other
wild creatures which are getting so
scarce as 70 be threatened with eX-
tinction. 1t is feared that before
long some Of the ost valuable
and interesting mammals, formerly
plentiful in our territory, will have
disappeared entirely, and no time
Is to be lost it specimens OF them
are to be secured and preserved
alive. This idea was held in view
when the National Geological
Park at Washington was first
started, and now it is to be carried
out. Already the park has herd
OF buffalo, and will soon possess
several Rocky Mountain sheep;
but this is only beginning.
Ii is particularly desired to OBJ
tain examples Ui the wonderful
Alaskan fauna which is so rapidly
passing away. An expedition has
been sent to Alaska Tor the pur-
pose, and one or more walrus will
be captured and shipped 10 Wash
ington, Notwithstanding the diff
culties caused by their huge bulk,
as we'll as specimens OF the sea
lion and fur seal Sea lions ha Je
been kept in captivity before, but
up to date no fur seal has survived
Imprisonment tor any length OF
time. 1t is thought worth while
to make the experiment, however,
and an attempt will also be made
to take so ne sea otter pups,
though the natives Of the Aleutian
Islands say that these animals will
invariably starve themselves to
death in resentment oi their being
deprived OF their liberty.
DR.. Frank Baker, Superinten
dent Of the park, says that he ex
poets no trouble in taking care oil
the walrus. There was once a
walrus in the London Geological
Gardens, and did very we'll in.
deed, seemingly happy and con
&c 1ted. The walrus, Of course, is
the largest OF all Alaskan animals.
1t has been ruthlessly destroyed
within the last IS years, tee method
commonly adopted by hunters be-
ing to approach a group of walrus
on the ice and, after picking off the
most alert bulls from a sale dis
tance with rifles, to slaughter the
herd at leizure. The hide is utll.
lied for boots and leather, the
tusks for ivory, and the whiskers
Tor opium pipe picks.
Dr. Baker hopes that his agents
will be able to Sc cure one or two
sea elephants, Notwithstanding the
fact that these huge creatures are
supposed to be entirely extinct on
the Pacific Coast. He believes that
4 few Of them still survive, and, If
so, there would be no special dif-
hcultY about taking them, mas
much as they are the most help
less Of animals-a fact that is &C
countable for the quickness with
watch they were wiped out. They
are only valuable for the sake Of
their oil. In the far South Atlantic,
near to the Antarctic circle, is
found another species OF sea ele-
plants which, almost exterminated
at one time, has again become
fairly numerous through having
been lett alone tor a while. The
California sea elephant was nearly
IS feet long and had a long propos-
Cs.
Already DR.. Baker is making
plans for some OF the great tanks
in which he will place these great
mammals if he gets them. He is
not less interested, however, in GER
tain land mammals, Of which he
hopes to obtain specimens. There
is in Alaska a species OF moose,
bigger than any other moose found
elsewhere in the world, and in the
same country there is kind OF elk,
likewise larger than any other ex
isting elk. Or both OF these the
exposition will doubtless obtain
examp es. Then there are two
kinds oi native reindeer in Uncle
Sans Arctic province, neither OF
which is represented in any col
lection OF captive wild animals.
One OF these is the so called wood
land caribou Of the Upper Yukon,
and the other is a smaller species
known as the barren ground carl
bou, which lives in the open tree
less tundras. These wild reindeer
have become scarce since the ma
tiyes acquired breech loading
rifles.
Newspaper reports have already
mentioned the tact that an effort IS
to be made to procure a living
specimen oil the Kadiak bear, which
is much the largest species OF bear
in the world. Another curiosity
badly wanted is the Emperor
goose, which IS bird peculiar 10
:he marshy regi ons between the
mouths oil the Yukon and the Xus.
kowim. 1t is the most beautifully
dressed of all American geese.
CHINESE BUDDHISM. .-Buddha
was born, according to Chinese
tradition, 623 years before Christ