Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-29
THE AMEMCAA ELK
Practically Extinct East Of
the mississippi.
MOST KINGff OF DEER
BUT A sAvAaE one Is TO BE
FEARED.
After Dropping Their Horns Their Dis
positions Greatly I'm
9tt
prove.

~ = 81 =
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Think of a deer as tall as a sixteen hand
horse, with head, neck and chest of a rich
dark brown, body a light yellowish brown.
with a yeHowish-white area on the rump
about the base Of the tail, and crowned
with a. pair Of massive brown antlers, per-
haps sixty inches long and with six sharp
tines apiece, and you will have a fair mem
tai picture of full-grown male elk as he
appears in the fall and winter. The female.
or doe, has much the same appearance, ex-
cept that she has no antlers at any season
of the year. To my mind, the elk is the
most kingly of deers not excepting the
moose, which is larger and heavier.
Years ago the elk was found in all the
northern states and in. Canada and along
the mountain ranges, much further to the
south. But, owing to the advance of civil
lization and many less noble causes. this
splendid animal has disappeared from
many parts of it's former range, and is
practically extinct east, of the Mississippi
river In fact, it is now abundant in but
one Iocality-the Yellowstone National
Park and the country Immediately sur
rounding it. 1t is altogether probable that
within a few years it will disappear I'M
less it is quickly protected by much better
laws than are now in force. Many elk are
butchered for their meat, but the craze.
for mounted heads, and the barbarous de-
mand for elk teeth to be worn as insignia
by members of the Order of Elks, are re-
sponsible for the slaughter of many of
these great creatures every year.
The Challenge Call.
At my home near the Blue mountain
forest game preserve we hear every night
a sweet-toned long drawn whistle or bugle
note, which is the challenge call of the
male elk, which he delivers through his
open mouth, and with his head thrown
back. Sometimes the call is answered by
a rival stag. and the two will come to-
gether and fight for mastery and for the
ownership of a herd. Sometimes steal out
into the forest, and watch a band of these
great creatures, in the dusk or in the moon
light. and perhaps 1 come upon them feed
ing on the fallen apples in some ancient
orchard From timestoo time the stag will
throw back his head and, the long-drawn
whistle will go echoing through the hills.
and at the end there is often a series of
braying notes which are much less pleasing,
and which suggest those of a donkey. Some
times, when there are no apples on the
ground, the male will thrust his long ant
lers up among the branches and shake a
lot down, and believe that he does this in
tentionally. But as often as not the elk
will be aware of my presence before l can
get glimpse of them, and 1 find every
head turned straight toward me, their great
ears stuck out on either side. drinking in
every sound L make. They seem inquistive,
and If keep perfectly still they will stand
for some time as rigid as statues. By and
by one of the does, will become uneasy
and take a few strides before turning to
watch me again., Then, after looking in
silence for another minute, she delivers
a loud, somewhat ShriIl bark, which might
be fairly represented in English by the
word ''Waugh!'
Gives the Warning.
hoe
in it; it is a warning, not only to other
elk, but TIC deer, foxes and many other
forest creatures, which usually make for
cover at once. Sometimes it is repeated
either by the same elk or by another one,
and as a rule the whole band makes off
at good pace, the stag bringing up the
rear, and often turning half round, as
though warming his enemies not to hurry
him. And unless fully armed it is we'll to
take the hint. for savage bull elk is
about as dangerous a brute as ever killed
a man for the joy of killing him I have
been told by experienced hunters that on
an open plain and unarmed they would
sooner face wounded tiger than savage
elk. The insane nature of an eIk's fury,
they say, would preclude all possibility of
escape. If there are trees about a man
stands good chance; that is, if he knows
anything of the ways of elk. A savage
stag gives little warning of his murderous
intentions. If he sees his intended victim
wildly. like mad bull but slowly saun-
tiers over, stopping now and then to nibble
the grass, perhaps, acting as though he
had never even seen the man. but grad
ually lessening the distance between them.
Like a Whirlwind.
When fairly close, he raises his head. laws
back his ears and lips, and. with an ugly
grimace. strides slowly but steadily for
ward. shaking mis- antlers as though in play
III there is a tree near, the man had best
lose no time in getting into It, for the elk
may come the last few yards like whirl-
WIND, and stab him to death with almost
uncomfortable fury. OF course all male elk
are not savage, and those which are are
dangerous only in the fall and winter. At
ter dropping their horns. as they do usually
in Marcn, their disposition becomes COM
paratively mild, and remains so until the
folloWlnS autumn. In April the new horns
begin to appear, looking at first like two
big brown tomatores, which gradually
lengthen and branch out reaching their full
length in June. But even then they look
very little like the dangerous weapons of
October. for they are blunt, soft and would
Iced freely if il jured. Moreover they are
covered all over with hairy skin and are
said to be lin the velvet" At this time of
the year the animals look in bad condition.
as they are shedding their winter coats.
Gradually the ahtlers begin to shrink be-
coming sharp at the tips and hard all over
and in August the velvet" is rubbed off
against convenient trees By October / the
animals have acquired their new winter
coats, the antlers are new and sharp and
the stays are APT to be dangerous again.
The Baby Elk.
Young elk are born in April and May,
and at first their skins are Beautifully SPOT
ted In about three months the spots have
disappeared, never to return. It seems like
ly that the spots serve to deceive their
enemies at season when they are young
and helpless, by causing them to resemble
patches of white flowers, such as are seen
blooming everywhere in the spring
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNES.
The Forest of Iceland.
From the Philadelphia Record
One would hardly expect. the subject of