The Coolidge examiner., 1933-05-19

mountain goat, bear and mountain lion which
once roafned this continent. Neither are these
hunters going out with the avowed purpose Of
further decimating the numbers OF American
big game
Instead they are going out with-belieye II or
neutrality-suspicious. and pencil and paper (cer-
tainly not very deadly weapons) and they will
be concerned not with killing more big game but
with animals that have already been killed
wh:ch is by way of saying that the purpose of
this big game hunt is to find out where the
worlds record big game heads. who was the hunter
who secured these trophies, where were they Sc
cured who owns them now, etc.
For four years the New York Geological So
cety has carried on an active campaign TO To-
cate all the largest heads of American game
During that time II has established the National
Collection of Heads and Horns and has brought
together the finest collection of these trophies
in the world, housing them in a fine building
dedicated to the vanishing Big Game Of the
World"
In December Of last year it published book
called Records Of North American Big Came"
prepared by committee composed of Prentiss
n. Gray. editor Kermit Roosevelt, Madison
Grant W. Redmond Cross. George Harrison and
f. Hubert Litchfeld In compiling this work
more than $4,000 questionnaires were sent out
and the aid OF more than 5000 sportsmen, mu
scum and owners of trophies was enlisted.
A standard method of measurement was de-
veloped and all measurements submitted for in
cusion in the record were required to be made
by one OF the cooperating museums a repre-
sentative of the National Collection of Heads
and Horns. From the several thousands meas
ured. total of sol trophies were selected for
incuJiOn in the record, making 1t a veritable
Almanac de Gotha of the monarchs of the plains
and mountains.
The book was divided into 13 sections, deal
ing with all varieties of big game on this CONT
nent and each section was edited by an author
ity on the species, among them such nationally
known scientists and sportsmen as DR.. George
Bird Grinnell, Ernest Thompson Seton, Dr. G.
Hart Merriam, Samuel Merrill. Wifred III. Os-
good H. z. Anthony Madison Grant, Z. w. Mel
son, Nal. f. a. Goldman DR.. Thomas Barbour,
Edmund Seymour, Thierry Mallet, and c. ii.
Townsend.
The society is now planning to issue another
edition OF the Records to bring 1t up to date and
during the coming year its official measurers will
spend considerable time in various parts Of the
country, especially in the Rocky Mountain
states visiting every town TO measure trophies.
1--WE know that many fine trophies must exist
in homes hotels and cafes in the small towns
of the Rocky Mountain states and we wish to
locate and measure us many of them as pos
sible" says PrentSs y. Gray, editor of the Rec
ords at is quite possible that among them we
shall find some worlds records Such heads
have considerable monetary value and while
we have no Interest in purchasing any heads,
doubtless many persons who possess trophies
large enough to be listed in the Records would
be glad to realize them or at least to know
that they are valuable"
Those in charge of the Records have been
obliged in the past-and this holds good for the
future. also-to accept only measurements au-
thenticated by recognized natural history mu-
seums or their own representatives. This is not
a reflection on the honesty of the measurements
of the owner of the trophy, but they early dis
covered that some over-zealous taxidermists con-
sidered 1t good practice and pleasing to their