WILDLIFE CONSERVATION 787 



tough and tenacious. Caribou may still be observed in large numbers 

 in the ]\Iount McKinley region and in other suitable parts of Alaska. 

 Moose, although they have been extirpated from New York, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and some other states, still persist over much of their former 

 range, a remarkable fact when the size and character of the animal 

 are considered. 'Elk, or wapiti, now reduced to a few favorable locali- 

 ties in the West, were originally of general distribution nearly 

 throughout the country. True deer of the several varieties mentioned 

 above have persisted over much of their former ranges, at least wher- 

 ever habitat conditions coupled wnth an interest in deer conservation 

 on the part of intelligent landowners have made such persistence pos- 

 sible. Although in a few places, as in parts of Pennsylvania, deer may 

 be more abundant now than formerly, as a result primarily of man- 

 made openings in the forests, in most instances deer have decreased. 

 Strecker points out that between 1845 and 1853 no fewer than 75,000 

 deer hides were marketed by a single firm dealing in furs and hides 

 and operating out of Trading House Creek near Waco, Texas. At 

 present deer are scarce in this general region. This is a striking ex- 

 ample of what has happened throughout the country. 



The collared peccary is the only North American wild pig. For- 

 merly found widely throughout southwestern Texas, and still occurring 

 over a considerable area in that state as well as in southern Arizona, 

 New Mexico, and old Mexico, the peccary has been forced back into a 

 relatively restricted range. This has been given legal protection 

 recently as a game animal in Texas. 



The former range of the beaver, one of our most valuable rodents, 

 was almost coextensive with the outlines of North America, excepting 

 only in the extreme North, the ultra-arid region, and parts of the low- 

 lying South and Southeast. Its numbers must have been correspond- 

 ingly great. It is said that some of Canada's great modern cities are 

 founded on the sites of former beaver colonies. The experience of Wis- 

 consin, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania, however, indicates the 

 entire practicability of the restoration of this highly useful animal 

 over vast stretches of its former domain. The desirability of such 

 restoration is increasingly appreciated as man recognizes the value of 

 the beaver as a soil conservationist ; for this most interesting rodent is 

 the original check-dam engineer. The beaver was in the business of 

 soil-building, soil conservation, and flood prevention a hundred thou- 

 sand years ago. 



