794 TEXTBOOK OF ZOOLOGY 



But what does this civilization rest on ? The answer is clear : First, 

 on the renewable natural resources — the soil, the waters, the forage 

 growing on the open range, the trees of the forest, and the wildlife; 

 and second, on the nonrenewable natural resources — oil, sulphur, 

 stone, and minerals. Wildlife conservation is but one aspect of the 

 larger world problem of conservation, on the solution of which de- 

 pends the entire future of the human race. 



The Problem of Restoration 



A rather discouraging outlook, it seems, and so it is, but restoration 

 is by no means hopeless. Some farmers are encountered who have de- 

 cided to get their share of game while the getting is good, and sci- 

 entists, who have almost turned defeatist in the fight for conserva- 

 tion, have concluded that we are living at the close of the "Age of 

 Mammals," and that our interesting mammals and birls — and in all 

 probability we ourselves — will shortly pass out of the picture. Per- 

 haps so, but, in my opinion, there is no justification for such a view. 



It is the considered opinion of the writer that if the American peo- 

 ple want fish in their streams, bobwhite quail in their coverts, deer 

 and wild turkey in their forests, song birds and insectivorous species 

 about their farms and homes, they can have them in generous abun- 

 dance. This opinion is based on some concrete instances in which actual 

 results constitute unmistakable demonstrations of the possibilities. 

 Three of these demonstrations will now be considered. 



1. Bobwhite Quail.- — The painstaking scientific research work of 

 H. L. Stoddard and C. 0. Handley in southern Georgia and northern 

 Florida has resulted in an encouraging increase in the bobwhite popu- 

 lation on the great plantations of the region. Here is a positive demon- 

 stration on a grand scale of the possibility of substantially increased 

 production of bobwhites throughout the vast southern pine forest area, 

 extending over parts of at least fifteen southern states. 



2. Big Game in the National Forests. — During the past several 

 years, under the enlightened management policies of the Federal 

 Forest Service, big game is reported to have increased 140 per cent 

 in the national forests. Nor has this increase entailed a rigorous pro- 

 gram of absolute protection, except in unusual cases, but rather, true 

 conservation through wise use. Here, then, we have a second demon- 

 stration, on a series of forests and ranges that embrace more than 



