Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-07

! lnsula bear from Alaska, the Admiralty Is
lands bear, also from Alaska, and the little
GROWN crane. captured about fifty miles
from Nome. There are also many other
animals in the park which are the only
specimens of their kind in this country.
The Millionaire and the Buffalo.
The only animal that is being privately
preserved from extinction in this country
is the American bison better known as
the buffalo The largest herd is chat
founded by the late August Corbin at Blue
Mountain Forest Park, in Sullivan county
N. H. The park is about 2TOOO acres in
extent, and includes within its borders
a big mountain. An enthusiastic visitor
recently said that it is one of the greatest
game preserves in the world, and contains
almost every species of wild brute This
is an exaggeration. There are many
larger game preserves in Europe and In
dia, the latter being owned by the native
princes. Besides bison, the Corbin pre-
serve is stocked with moose, elk, wild
boars and over 5000 white-tailed deer, but
it certainly does not possess anything like
almost every species of wild brute.
The most interesting feature of the col
lection is the buffalo herd. which is I'M
doubtedly the best in the United States.
The late Mr.. Corbin bought thirty bison
about fifteen years ago and put them in
the park, with the praiSeworthy idea of
saving Americas most representative ami
NAL from extinction. The herd now num-
bers nearly 200, and all the animals are in
splendid condition. From the first. the
bison throve wonderfully in the New Hump
shire mountains, and they have never
ceased TO do So The preserve is now kept
up by the Corbin estate.
In Private Preserves.
In Minnesota on a large estate near st.
Paul, James ]. Hill has small herd of
buffalo, which are doing well and rapidly
increasing. Mr.. Hill takes good care to
keep his herd pure bred. Unfortunately,
this is not the case with John Goodnight
a wealthy ranchman in Texas. who also
has a herd of bison. He crosses them
with domestic cattle and the value of the
herd as means of preserving the species
is thereby greatly lessened. Mr.. Good
knights herd consisted, according to the
latest report presented to Congress. of a
hundred and ten head. Mr. Hills num-
bered twenty-four, all save three being
re-blooded.
The late w. c. Whitney had herd of
twenty-one buffalos on October mountain,
LenoX. Mass. They We're given to the
New York Geological Park together with
a number of elk, and are now ON exhibit
ton in the buffalo ranges at the park.
William Rockefeller has large herds of
deer on his estates. He gave two fine herds
of red deer and fallow deer to the New
York Geological Park.
On the Jackson estate near Nashville,
Tenn, there is a herd of about 300 deer
running absolutely wild in the forest of the
estate. Efforts have been made to catch
them and sell them, but they are so wild
that they have always killed themselves
in their terror when penned into log bar
riers. There is a deal on foot at the pres
ent time to sell 300 of the deer to a hunt
ing club, which has a preserve of 1900
acres in Tennessee, but the owners of the
deer are unable to deliver the goods They
have to catch their deer before they can
sell them.
A Dukes Private Collection.
The only species that is really being pre-
served from extinction in America, 1t will
be seen from these facts, is the buffalo. In
Europe private enterprise in this matter
operates on much wider scale.
Mr.. Hornaday told the writer of a visit
which he paid to the Duke of Bedford
private geological collection at Woburn
Park In England. He declared that it Is
far and away the finest collection of hoofed
animals in the world. Its magnitude and
Importance are unbelievable until it Is seen.
The finest public geological gardens in the
world are far inferior. Where they have
one two species of a rare animal the
duke had a whole herd. The Gland is an
example. 1t is very rare, and the bes:
geological gardens have only single spec
linen. There is but one in the whole
of America, but the duke has no fewer than
twenty-eght
He can well afford such luxuries, for he
Is one of the richest peers in Great Britain.
With the possible exception of the Duke of
Westminster he Is the biggest of the Lon
don ground landlords. He owns the land
on which about square mile of the most
valuable property in London Is built and
as the leases of the ground fall In from
year to year his wealth increases like a
SNOWFALL rolling down hill. 1t is therefore,
a mere bagatelle for him to spend hundreds
Of thousands of dollars in stocking 20
illogical park of several hundreds of acres
~x,f%I l., : acf 1fryir, ,itrpov lie
His collection at Woburn Park is one of
the wonders of England, but very few
people have seen it. The duke does not
care to show it to visitors unless, as in the
case Of Mr.. Hornaday. they take keen
scientific interest in the subject. Walter
Rothschild's private geological garden at
Tring park is well known and has formed
the subject of hundreds of newspaper and
magazine articles, but, when compared
with the Duke of Bedford's. 1t is as China
orange to all Lombard street. Mr.. Roths-
child has always been eager to show his
collection to callers, and that is why 1t is
SO much better known than the dukes.
Very Rare Animals.
Among the very rare animals owned by
the duke are waterbuck, sable antelopes,
American bison, gnus, many Of the almost
extinct deer of Europe, Altai, wapiti
swamp deer of India, David's deer of China
and Prejevalsky horses. The dukes herd
of David's deer is all that stands between
that species and extinction.
Preievalsky horses are found in central
Asia, and there are only a few specimens
in captivity. Some of them are in the New
York geological park. When the duke de-
cided that he wanted some he gave an order
to German collector for six pairs at
81, coo pair.
An expedition was sent to the deserts Of
central Asia especially to catch these ami
mails. The Germans in charge of the expe-
d1tion hired no fewer than a thousand wild
kfrghiz horsemen for the task.
This small army penetrated into unex-
plored deserts, and after undergoing many
hardships, caught a herd of the rare ami
mails. The herd was surrounded by the
Kurghiz, and all the colts were taken. 1t
was useless to capture the adult animals,
as they were far too wild to be trans
ported The colts were sucked by a num-
Der of brood mares which had been brought
with the expedition for that purpose, and
finally twenty-five were transported to
Hamburg alive. The duke got his six pairs,
and the others were sold to various ZOO
logical gardens.
To Crafty His Wife.
The duke has created his wonderful pri-
vate geological garden mainly for the
pleasure of his wife. The duchess of Bed
ford is an enthusiastic zoologist. and is