526 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



and the regulated grazing of domestic live stock favored game pres- 

 ervation. The activities of the service contributed largely to the 

 success of the movement to protect and perpetuate all species of game 

 birds and animals. 



No attempt has been made to stock the Grand Canyon game refuge 

 with introduced species, and the only game animals within the refuge 

 are those indigenous to the locality, which have multiplied encour- 

 agingly. 



The buffalo herd on the Wichita, which when introduced in 1907 

 numbered 15 head, now contains 39 head. Nine calves were born 

 during the year. The herd is in thriving condition, the buffalo 

 having become thorouglily adapted to their new environment. No 

 losses occurred. The elk herd was increased by 8 head shipped from 

 Jacksons Hole, Wyo., in March, 1912, but 3 of these animals died 

 shortly after their arrival at the refuge, presumably from injuries 

 received in transit. The herd now numbers 12, of which one is a calf 

 born in 1912. Like the buffalo, they are in splendid physical condi- 

 tion and free from Texas fever. The attempt to introduce antelope 

 has met with poor success, although the country formerly was an 

 antelope range; only 2 head survive out of a total of 10 placed within 

 the inclosure. The cause is not definitely known. Additional ani- 

 mals will be secured if possible. Introduced wild turkey are doing 

 well and give promise of large increases. The native deer are increas- 

 ing rapidly, as are the quail and other native game birds. The 

 nature of the Wichita game preserve makes it most interesting, and 

 it is visited annually by a large number of people. 



The Biological Sur^^ey cooperated with the Forest Service in stock- 

 ing national forests with elk shipped from Jacksons Hole, Wyo. 

 In addition to the 8 head placed on the Wichita, 14 head were placed 

 in the Billy Meadows grazing experiment pasture in the Wallowa 

 National Forest, and 20 head were liberated within the Sundance 

 National Forest in Wyoming. It is hoped that the natural increase 

 of these small bunches will ultimately stock the forests in question. 

 Other shipments of elk were distributed by the States of Montana 

 and Wyoming to points where the animals will range chiefly within 

 national forests. 



Stockmen, especially sheep owners, are uneasy lest the location of 

 small bands of elk in ranges now utilised for stock grazing will, as 

 the elk increase in numbers, eventually result in exclusion of stock. 

 Game animals as they increase in number must be provided with more 

 and more range or else suffer for food. It is believed that future 

 shipments of elk for such purposes should be made only to those 

 forests which either are not available for stock grazing or are natural 

 game regions, more or less stocked with game at the present time. 

 Under such a plan specific areas of limited extent, which are relatively 

 undesirable for domestic stock, would be given up to game, thus re- 

 establishing them in regions naturally well adapted for them, and 

 perhaps opening the way to the breeding of game as an auxiliary 

 meat supply, but without compelling any material curtaiilment of 

 the stock industry. Such a system would entail provision for utiliz- 

 ing the increase of the game animals above the number which the 

 range given over to them would support, otherwise the game would 

 propagate only to starve. 



