People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1893 — RARE ANIMALS. [ARTICLE]

RARE ANIMALS.

One of the Most Interesting Exhibits Sent by the Government. An attractive feature of the government exhibit at the fair is a series of stuffed and mounted specimens of species which are neanng extinction. It is a lamentable 1 act that many of the sea and land animals indigenous to America and surrounding waters are fast disappearing. Notably among the specimens sent to Chicago from the Smithsonian institution is that of a sea otter, believed to be the only perfectly preserved example of this curious species in existence. For many years the government has been trying to get a perfect skin, and has been unable to get one until the present one was secured. The difficulty is that the Alaskan natives not only distort the hides in preparing them for market, but in obedience to an old superstition, they bite off the nose of each beast before flaying it Thus it happens that no muse um in the world has a good specimen The one shown by the National muse um at the Centennial exposition possessed neither nose nor feet, being patched up with papier mache. Recently, however, the complete and uninjured skin of a male adult sea otter was obtained through the Alaska Commercial company. It will be stuffed and mounted on a rock covered with seaweed, so as to look as lifelike as possible. The fur of this animal is the most valuable known. A good pelt, with the usual imperfections, is worth two hundred and fifty dollars, while an exceptionally fine one will fetch one thousand dollars. It has been suggested that the president could preserve this precious creature by setting aside the islands of Saanach and Chernolours, in the north Pacific, as a reservation where they might be protected, just as he reserved the island of Afognak for the salmon by proclamation the other day. Otherwise the species cannot long survive. Hunters are shooting the few survivor! now with explosive bullets. Another interesting animal to be shown is the only specimen of the walrus that has ever been properly stuffed and mounted. Mr. William Palmer went all the way to the Pribylov seal islands to get it. The beast was shot on Walrus island, which is six miles from the island of St. Paul —an irregular rock a few hundred yards long.

In like fashion will be shown the finest mounted specimen of the manatee ever exhibited. This great marine animal is first known to have been remarked by Christopher Columbus. It attains a length of thirteen feet and a w-eight of two thousand pounds. Though now almost extinct, the species was once along the gulf coast. Yet another aquatic animal to be shown will be a specimen of the sea elephant. It was formerly found in large numlMp along the coast of California. Anaong the interesting beasts to be shown by the National museum in its exhibit of the animals native to this country is the Rocky mountain antelope. This was the famous "woolly horse” which figured in the political songs of the Fremont campaign. It is not particularly rare, nor near extinction, but it is one of the least known of American mammals, because the regions which it inhabits are almost inaccessible. Nevertheless, it is not very alert and is easily shot when it can be got at It will be represented by a group, as will also the woodland -caribou, which is the reindeer of Newfoundland. The latter has been nearly exterminated. Another group shows the barrenground caribou of Alaska. Both of these are regarded as varieties of the same species as the domesticated reindeer, which have been newly imported by the government from Siberia for the benefit of the Alaska natives. For them it is expected to supply ths place of the walrus, inasmuch as it is the most useful animal in existence. It is intended to exhibit representatives of the families of as many u possible of the strange and rare mammals native to all America, as for example, certain scarce armadillos, eats, deer and rat-like beasts from the southern' continent. U nfortunately some are so rare as to not be obtainable, only one or two specimens being known in the case of certain species. The mammals form only a part of the great series, which will extend from man to the amoeba.