Animal Life.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 373, 2 July 1903, Page 7

Animal Life.

DEATH OF A NOTED GRIZZLY. ■IG #6i^T-pihe ? grizzly '■ 4ha4 ib&s -killing off stock in the country around Lewiston, Idaho, for several winters, | jis pfe w&i? MUedl-recejitiy ;by D|^.|Ril|xoo^ Fajl|, • *S. D.|?a agent Who ttravele leMtoty 3 . Holbrook I and those who accompanied him returned to Spokane, bringing Big *Fobf e hide iximr About eight days ago Tom Hopper, the veteran bear hunter of Spokane, and Holbrook went down into Nez Perces county Idaho, to capture the gray terror of the hills. Accompanying Long, of Spokane. cv on at„ found tlnat th"e grizzly was supposed to be off somewhere in the hills, thirtyi-flvlejir forty miles to the south* west of Lewiston. The snow was two or three feet deep in that section, but they wandered, around in it for about five days before coming up to Big Foot's trail. Finally one of the dogs scared him up. He was in a hole among some rocks on a ridge sloping back from the head of Capt. John; Creek,* which ;is a tributary of; Snake River. The dogs got right on Big Foot's heels. He,started to run. Hopper, who had the dogs out, was about eighty yards away when the race started. The bear ran like a racehorse, 1 For fa whfe he Iwduldprun 'and %hen he Jwould? turn land fight the dogs that! were purIsulng Jhim. i ,£He IwouTd,, chase* thejm, for about thirty steps and then he would turn and run again. Finally he'made a detour .and rushed down the side of the ridge. He oame within 150 yards of the place where the entire party was camped. Long and Holbrook ; were in the camp at the time, aud when they saw the bear coming Holbrook grabbed his 30-s*o rifle, aimed, and Jjred. -Ths|. pierced «44"f lbtkexi;b\iilet Swaswpttt* through head to make sure that he was gone. Big Foot had killed about twenty .horses some' few weeks before. In the country around where he was killed* the hunting party counted fifteen dead horses. When Big Foot was out open forty pounds of horse meat was found in his paunch. ; The Big Fdo%\||i%kilu|| is near Me Woir&t Craig Mbiintaini:%etween the Clearwater and Snake Riyers< ;Hbpper 4s a beaf hunter, of renown and. has hunted bears under all sorts of conditions. Jtwas only |iick thai prevented. bin* from carrying off Big Foot's hide. He was the first to see him, but never got within range of him. Big Foot weighed 1,300 pounds. He was about nine feet long and about three high. No exact measurements were taken and there was.no opportunity to weigh him. He had claws over four inches long. Big Foot had been a pest of the 'people residing; in;, the: where he was killed for several years. Great joy was expressed among, the, stockmen and "farmers when jvdrd was brought that he was dead.

-~J fight mikia. 13 f -*

Suddenly there is that strange, silent easing up once mone, but tins time you remember your lesson and take advantage of it. ~ ...Then- ,you begin to4>reattne again c in the belief that the fight is almost over and your crampetf wrists and fingers are about 'to get ; a ! well-earned respite. Over ? The ridiculous idea is klibokedout of your head with another smash-; ing leap that takes hint a foot out df the lake and shows him to you.in .the, flooding isuutshine only thirty 'feet away, Provided you dori'i drop ihe' rod out of your iands in admiration at -the sight, you have a, fighting chance. So has he, "says a "writer in -«■ ScribnerW ■—-•-<• ■•- -«■-- ■**—«-* - «Oareful,' says the guide, in a a him there* a*;miaute,= Keep ijtiddjg, I'll head into deep wawlfl ** >* *• Once, twice, three times your rod dips into tbe lake, and still the strain never ceases, still,that swift running creature below keeps up his plucky struggle. You feel the , drops of sweat on your forehead, though the early morning air is as cool as the breath from some snow-clad mountain. Gradually he weakens, and you know that, barring accidents, you, have won. Up, closer and you draw M«V a l° n g till at lastf he floats there" within a foot of your boat. No eyes so wiekod.as a inusky's. They glare up .at you like an angry dog's, seeming to watch every motion you make. Be careful. Here it comes—h% ; fbaa^. despairing leap for liberty. As he makes it his powerful tail sweeps against the stern' and deluges you with water. But the hooks hold, and. once more, for the last time, you draw him again to where i"he guide waits with a revolver in his hand. ,A shot those glittering eyes, a shiver down the whole iengjth of hini, a sw ; ift jerk into the bottom of the boat with ] the gaf£-hook-<-and you lie back in an ecstasy of exhaustion.

DESEBT ANIMALS. Probably the ietisfc known desert in -the* World the Great Sahara f because the bases in its centre are occupied by intensely hostile and warlike tribes, whose hatred of the French is a kind of delirium. But on itß northern fringe two animals are found whioh seem : specially adapted for life in this forbidden land. They are the ftddax antelope

•Spectator,' The add ox is an ugly,. awkward-looking animal, with spiral horns and very widespread hoofs which enable it to go at a great pace over the sand. Pliny knew of its existence, and was naturally interested in it, for as South Africa was yet unvisited, this was one of the f©wifjjeGies of antelope known to the ancients. It was net rediscovered rfcill frjippell found it near Dongola. As it is rather a large antelope it. requires a considerable amount of food, and the difficulty which, sug-, gested itself was to discover where it found its food. It is now fairly cer-. tain that the addax follows the rains which fall at at certain seasons, and probably travels vast distances in the wake of the season's storms, The immense area or desert in North Africa makes this possible, though without special* knowledge of the meteorology of that part of the continent it would be unsafe to assert.that there is always rain going, on in some part of the desert fringe. How the addax supports itself iu these absolutely dry intervals is not known. Gazelles are mainly desert animals, but Loder's gazelle seems to have rather more than the family leaning toward the lands of thirst and sand.