Washington sentinel., 1900-07-21
.u SENTINEL
Uuere SANS Geological PARK

IuCle sans A)olnSlcAl f"ih
Uncle Sam wants a walrus. One
will do, though he would like
two or three. Also, he desires
sea otter or two, with certain other
wild creatures which are getting so
scarce as to 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
il to be lost il 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 onlv a beginning.
1t is particularly desired to OBJ
tain examples ot 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 ,iltti-
culties caused by their huge bulk,
as we'll as specimens OF the sea
lion and fur seal. Sea lions haze
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 attemp will also be made
to take some sea otter pups,
though the natives Of the Aleutian
Islands say that these animals will
invariably starve themselves to
death in resentment OF 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 well in.
deed, seemingly happy and con
te 1ted. The walrus, OF course, is
the largest OF all Alaskan animals.
1t has been ruthlessly destroyed
within the last S years, tr c method
commonly adopted by hunters be-
ing to approach a group OF walrus
on the ice and, after picking of the
most alert bulls from a safe dis
tance with rifles, to slaughter the
herd at leIzure. The hide is util-
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 secure 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
a few Of them still survive, and, if
so, there would be no special DIFF
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
waich they were wiped out. They
are only valuable for the sake of
t1eiE 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 left alone tor a while. The
California sea elephant was nearly
as ieet long and had long propos-
S.
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 a kind OF elk,
likewise larger than any other ex
isting elk. OF both oil these the
exposition will doubtless obtain
examp es. Then there are two
kinds Of native reindeer in Uncle
Sans Arctic province, neither OF
which is represented in any col
lection OF captive wild animals.
One ofthese 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 na-
tiyes acquired breech loading
rifles.
Newspaper reports have already
mentioned the tact that an effort IS
to be made to procure a living
specimen OF the Kadiak bear, which
is much the largest species Of bear
in the world. Another curiosity
badly wanted is the Emperor
goose, which IS a bird peculiar to
the marshy regions between the
mouths oil the Yukon and the '<us-
kowim. 1t is the most beautifully
dressed of all American geese.
CHINESE BUDDHISM. -Buddha
was born, according to Chinese
tradition, Gag years before Christ.