Harold Anderson, age 14, of Brooklyn,N.Y., for his question:
What is a wapiti?
He is a deer, the grandest and the most stately member of his clan. Full grown, the wapiti stag may weigh a thousand pounds and his magnificent crown of antlers may be five feet wide. Only one deer, the moose, is larger. And compared with the handsome wapiti, the moose is a clumsy oaf.
The lordly wapiti is no timid dear, feeding in the dim light and hiding in fear of his enemies. He leads his herd out to feed in the bright morning light and proudly guards them through the day. The princely fellow loves to fight and his pronged antlers can tear up a bear or even a puma.
Herds of wapiti, better known as elk, once roamed all over North America. They grazed like cattle on the plains, browsed in the valleys and wore equally at home among the mountains. But the brave, handsome creatures were hunted without mercy and now only a few remain in the wild state. We can see them in zoos and there are herds in Yellowstone National Park and other parks. Here and in most states, their winning numbers are protected by law from man‑the‑hunter.
The young wapiti is born in May or June. He is a pale fawn color, spotted with white. He is so sturdy that he is toddling along on wobbly legs when only one hour old. Mama is somewhat smaller than the big stag and she has no antlers. She is just one of Pnpays half a dozen wives.
Now begins a time of great excitement. Day by day Junior watches his handsome Papa battle to protect his family and his little heart swells with pride. Time after time he hears the big stag bellow his challenge, a long whistle sliding down the scab and ending in an ear splitting roar. And time after time the bugle challenge is answered.
Most of the fights are with other wapiti stags who wish to elope with Papa's wives. The fighters meet head end with antlers held low. Usually the invader is a young fellow who soon admits defeat and trots away to fight another day.
The fighting season is over in December and Papa sheds his proud antlers. By this time Junior has lost his spots and grown himself a small pair of antlers. He bets a little sassy and he may prod the old stag who can no longer defend himself. Soon, Junior too sheds his baby antlers and the family settles down in a sheltered valley to spend the winter months.
In a few years, Junior is fully gown. He is pale tan color with a thick, chestnut colored mane around his neck. His fine antlers are shed each fall and start to grow again in March or April. While growing they are very sensitive because they arc covered with flesh and hair. By August the antlers are fully gown and the wrappings peel away.
The young wapiti staff is now ready for a family of his own. And the only way he can bet one is to steal it from some old Papa staff. Time after time he challenges and fights, just as he saw the young stags challenge his own Papa. At last he wins a fight. He defeats an old stag and proudly trots off with half a dozen wives of his own.