their pack saddles had galled them, and great loathsome sores nearly covered the parts touched by the saddle. A pitiless snow squall was sweeping just then over this inhospitable region, and these miserable beasts, having fallen into bad hands in a bad climate, looked sadly enough." As late as June 28, 1876, the Virginia City Enterprise contained an account of an ascent of Mount Davidson made by a train of 8 camels, each carrying one-third of a cord of wood. The animals approached to within 150 feet of the summit, reaching an altitude of nearly 9,000 feet.

The historian H. H. Bancroft states that in 1876 the Nevada camels were all taken to Arizona, with the exception of one pair which, placed on a ranch in the Carson Valley, in a few years increased to 26. The story of the remarkable fecundity of this pair of camels spread far and wide, finding its way into Major Leonard's important work on The Camel, published in 1893, as well as into the encyclopedias. It should, however, be taken with great allowance, when it is remembered that the female camel gives birth but once in three years, and does not begin to breed until 5 years of age. The employment of the animals for practical purposes in Nevada steadily dimin ished. Their appearance on the public roads frightened horses, thereby giving rise to suits for damage, and leading finally to legislation prohibiting their use on the public highways and their running at large.

In the meantime the camels left at Camp Verde were employed in various errands to places over the State and became so common a sight on the streets of several towns that they ceased to excite curiosity. In some instances they were looked upon as a nuisance, because they frightened horses, and the city council of Brownsville is said to have passed an ordinance forbidding them the streets.

Thus they remained until the outbreak of the Civil War, increasing naturally to some extent, showing themselves well adapted to the climate and other conditions of Texas, and described in the papers of the day by those who saw them as healthy and strong, of greater stature and in all respects superior to the camels of the traveling menageries. At the beginning of the war the camel station passed into the hands of the Confederates, from whom the herd received scant attention, being allowed to pick up its own living by grazing. Naturally, some of the animals wandered away. Of these there is an official account of at least 3. These were captured in Arkansas by the Union forces and "sent to Mr. Paden, near the Des Moines River, in Iowa, for the benefit of his care and economy in their support.” In June, 1863, Lieut. J. Grayler, from the headquarters of the Department of the Missouri, at St. Louis, asked the Department what he should do with them; the Quartermaster-General, on the ground that H. Doc. 743, 58-2-27

the number was too small for use, recommended that they be sold at public auction, which action was accordingly ordered by Secretary Stanton.

Doubtless others of the herd during this period of loose discipline wandered off from Camp Verde and found their way westward to the deserts and mountains of the Texas Panhandle, of New Mexico and of Arizona, where they lived free and half wild, the prey of hunters both white and red. There are numerous recorded instances where soldiers or hunters have seen the animals and pursued them. These instances occur with decreasing frequency down to within the past ten years.

When at the close of the Civil War the Federal Government was again in charge of Camp Verde, all thought of making practical use of the camels was abandoned. The number was now 44, and in March, 1866, sealed proposals to buy them were invited. The bids were opened at New Orleans, at the office of the chief quartermaster, Col. E. G. Sawtelle. Three persons were willing to buy: Horace Bell offered $5 each; Joseph Hallam, $10 each; while Col. Bethel Coopwood's hid was $31 each. Gen. M. C. Meigs, Quartermaster-General, at Washington, reluctantly gave the order to sell at $31 each, expressing at the same time his belief that private enterprise would better develop the animal in this country and his regret that the experiment had failed.

The camels were delivered to Colonel Coopwood at San Antonio, Tex., and kept by him in that vicinity until December, 1866, when they were driven into Mexico. In January, 1867, 12 of them were sold to the proprietor of a "circus and caravan," and the remainder appear to have been, during the next fifteen years, disposed of in the same manner. As late as May, 1903, the Express, of San Antonio, speaks of having observed in one of the midway shows which had exhibited in that city a camel with the United States brand on it and the counterbrand of a subsequent purchaser. No doubt a search through the many menageries, traveling shows, and the zoological gardens of the country would reveal other survivors of the Government camels, although their number is likely to be few, as it is now more than thirty-five years since they passed from Government ownership, and the camel does not often, even with the best treatment, attain to more than 40 years.

Thus, after a checkered official life of eleven years, the camels passed finally into the hands of private owners. Of the two shiploads of animals, the Government retains nothing except the bones of one of the beasts, which stand in a case at the National Museum at Washington and perform the duty of illustrating to students the peculiar skeleton framework of the "ship of the desert," besides serving as a souvenir to those acquainted with the story of the attempt to transplant these ancient drudges from their homes in Africa and Asia to the Western

World. The camel in question, while at Fort Tejon, Cal., was killed by one of its mates that had gotten loose during the night. The animals were rutting and consequently intractable. The soldiers relate that the combat was most furious, the beasts striking each other resounding blows with their ponderous feet, while the drivers dared not interfere. The bones of the defeated animal were forwarded by Lieut. Sylvester Mowry to the Smithsonian Institution.

The most potent cause of the failure of the camel experiment was its interruption by the Civil War. Had Major Wayne been left in control of the camels which were imported under his supervision, and supplied with sufficient money to breed and increase them, as he so well knew was necessary, and had he been free to familiarize the teamsters and drivers with their management, there appears to be no particular reason why they should not have been of as much use in parts of this country as they were and are in the countries of the East. They were easily and quickly acclimatized and they performed with success their tasks in the initial experiments; indeed, so long as Major Wayne remained with them. But few officers understood their management, and they found in the mule driver an inveterate enemy. To secure their general use, a long course of experimentation, as well as teaching, was required. The beginning of the Civil War removed Major Wayne to the South, and during the succeeding years the camels were exposed to capture and recapture by the contending forces, neither of which had much time to devote to experiment. The construction of railways between the East and West, of course, limited the field in which it was proposed to use the camels, but they might still have been employed to advantage had anyone been found with the enthusiasm and information on the subject possessed by Major Wayne to collect and care for the scattered remnants of the herd and increase it

to such numbers as might be of some real use. In idleness they were merely a useless expense to the Government and were very properly sold; but, as in the case of any unfinished experiment, it is to be regretted that the trial of the camel in the Western world was not carried to conclusive results.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.

Horses in Hawaii.-In an address on "Horses of the Islands, past and present," delivered at the second annual meeting of the Hawaiian Live Stock Breeders' Association, held at Honolulu, December 21, 1903, Mr. Julian Monsarrat discussed the history of horse breeding in Hawaii. Horses of the light breeds have been generally imported, large numbers being Thoroughbreds, which the writer regards as most useful in improving the native stock. Mr. Monsarrat states that there are at present in the Territory over sixty imported stallions of which he has record, but that this is probably below the actual number of these imported. The breeds include Standard bred, Thoroughbred, Arab, and Cleveland Bay. Some draft stallions have been imported, though the breeds are not stated, and even mustangs are

used.

The greatest demand is for horses for road, carriage, and saddle purposes, the latter especially, including "cow ponies." The native stock is not regarded with very great favor, and the lack of good horses is ascribed not to a lack of good stallion stock, but to inferior brood mares, lack of good judgment in breeding, and improper methods of management. It is said to be customary on some ranches to allow stallions to run in the pasture with the mares from one year's end to another, with no feed but the pasture. In other cases mares and colts run together until the colts mature, with the result that colts frequently cover their dams.

Feeding the stallion well and keeping mares in good condition is advised. The Hawaiian climate is said to be very favorable to horses, many "crippled" trotters regaining form and condition after being

sent to the Islands from the continent.

The zebrula v. the mule.-German papers say the mule will probably be replaced in the twentieth century by a more efficient animal, as it has been demonstrated that the mule-the cross between the donkey and horse-is inferior to the cross between the horse and zebra.

Formerly the opinion prevailed that the zebra was almost extinct. The opening up of Africa, particularly the eastern part, reveals these fine animals in large numbers.

Compared with horses and cattle, they possess peculiar advantages, as they are immune from the very dangerous horse disease of Africa, and also against the deadly tsetse fly. The question was therefore raised whether the zebra could not take the place of the mule, com

monly used in the Tropics. The greatest credit with reference to the solution of this problem is due to Prof. Cossar Ewart, who has been trying since 1895 to produce crosses between horses and zebras, with a view to developing an animal superior in every respect to the mule. Three species of zebras still exist in Africa: The so-called "Grevy" zebra, on the high plateaus of Schoa; the common, or mountain, zebra, formerly found everywhere in South Africa; and the "Burchell" zebra.

Professor Ewart produced crosses from mares of different breeds and zebra stallions of the Burchell kind. The offspring is called “zebrula," and on account of its form and general bodily condition— especially the hardness of the hoofs-is especially adapted for all transport work heretofore performed by mules. The zebrula is much livelier than the mule and at least as intelligent. The Indian government has already experimented with zebrulas for transporting mountain artillery at Quetta.

In Germany much interest in this animal is manifested. The wellknown Hagenbeck is experimenting in this direction and intends to introduce the zebrula into Germany and America. The zoological garden at Berlin possesses some very fine specimens. The zebra stripes are often well preserved, while the undertone of the skin is generally that of the mother. A full-grown zebrula is 14 hands high and the girdle circumference about 160 centimeters (63 inches).

The experiments so far have been so successful that it is predicted that the zebrula, during the present century, will completely supersede the mule. (Richard Guenther, consul-general, Frankfort, Germany, July 18, 1903.)

Limousin cattle. The following remarks are by Hon. Walter T. Griffin, United States commercial agent, at Limoges, France. Although the indorsement which he makes of the Limousin cattle is too sweeping for any breed, the paragraph is published for the bit of information which it contains:

Attention has often been called to the Limousin cattle, there being no breed known that is so well adapted for beef as the hardy native Limousin stock. They far outrank the Durham or any other breed for this purpose. This breed is particularly robust, easily nourished and fattened, and has all the prime characteristics for producing first-quality beef. If these cattle were imported into the United States and crossed with native stock, they would improve the quality and be a great benefit to the producer. There is a registered herd book, and all information can be easily obtained. Free entry of animals for breeding purposes.-Paragraph 473 of the tariff act of July 24, 1897, provides for the free entry of animals for breeding purposes under certain conditions relative to registry. The Board of General Appraisers at the port of New York, under date of December 20, 1902, decided that horses brought in under this section, if for sale, were dutiable. The same decision would apply to ali other animals that might be imported in accordance with this section.