Valdez daily prospector., 1911-10-06
STUDIES! HABITS
 ta I91't3N l i('H Ise OF WILD ANIMALS
George Shiras, Camera Hunter of Wild Game, Tells Characterize
 ties of Wilderness Friends

thwcSirrn from d successful rX- petition to the Krnai peninsula.
 Mir. ShiraS brought back some wonderful pictures of the giant moose of Alaska and of the white mountain sheep, the Ovis DaIli, found only in the nOrthIand. The moose pictures c"mplrtr set which Mr.. ShiraS began years ago and which took him tO the woods of Maine, New Brunswick, Ouc- bee, Ontario, Manitoba, MinnrSu- la. Idaho and Wyoming.
 More than 20 years ago Mr.. ShiraS gay" up his rifle for the camera. Now he looks upon his shy friends of the wilderness and "f tn" stream as subjects for pie lures and not for the slaughter of tn" trophy hunter.
 He brought back with him a large collection of pictures of whit" sheep, a distinct species l Found only in Alaska. Imcilrntal- lN, he added largely ln his col l"clInn of otter, pnrcupinr, mar m"tS and of many birds, such as the Arctic tern, shags. gulls. rag- les. willow and rock pIarmigan, spruce grouse and ducks. Mr.. ShiraS went iO Alaska dur ing the first. week in July and vis- itcd that part of the northern dis t"lct lying 30 miles back of Sew ar! and along the Kenai and skill lac lakes.
 Fifty days out of the 55 he spent on the game trail were clrai. aud there were only six nOllr, of InElfall during tn. rnti"r prrlrd Tn" mean maximum temperature v,'S above the normal The aver. age maximum temperature for the 55 days was 15 degrees and there were only two nights of frost.
 After studying and photograph ing the giant moose for more than a month, Mr. ShiraS went back of Skilac lake l2 miles, on once of the highest rangrS of mountains and campcd 10 days above the timber line, where only willow twigs could be found for fire.
 On this range he found sheep in abundance. He saw 500 white sheep and with the usc of a t,lc- photo camera and of shorter range instruments he secured pie lures of more than 900 different sheep.
 some of the sheep were siaIkrd with infinite pains and photo- graphrd at a distance of 25 feet. By using powerful field glasses and observing their movements almost continuously for ii hours day it was possible for Mr.. Shi- raS to learn a great deal about he feeding habits and the range of this animal
 NaluraIiSlS and hunters have cnnIrndrd that tn" sense of smell iS not highly developed in the mountain sheep for the reason that II has long depended upon | it's keen vision to warn il of the approach of danger. Mr. Shiras established Inc fact that the sheep could scent a man at distance of 100 yards, while il could Sr' a man at two and q half miles. IT,, noted with interest the manner of Inc rams in signaling danger to | Inc flock.
 Mr.. ShiraS lnraIrd two moose ticks on Kcmai lake. whrr" the moose came down iu drink the mineral water and io lap the sail and the iron. lIr also located an- other lick on the Copper river, back of Cordova. which showed evidence of having been frequent = rh by sheep for hundreds of yrars. l The samples of Inc water will bc aSc"rIainrd for the IllrpOSr of aS- rrrlHininp what mineral appeals x" strongly to Inc shy mountain animals.
 Mr.. ShiraS failed Io gel any bear pictures. Ilc came upon bear trails along rivers which in- dicalcd that he was four or five days too late.
 Tn" long experience of Mr. Shi- ras in the wilderness has lrd him lo the conclusion that Ihc "sav- AEc b"asis' written uf by the na- lur" Takers arc mostly mythical
 "Thr almost daily reports oi the 'man~rliasing anh drvOurinp wolf, ilr fierce lynx Inc savage hrnr,' Inc Terrible rnnnnr' and