CHAPTER XI 

 A CURIOUS EXPERIENCE 



IN 1915 I spent a little over a fortnight on 

 a private game reserve in the province of 

 Quebec. I had expected to enjoy the great 

 northern woods, and the sight of beaver, moose, 

 and caribou; but I had not expected any hunt- 

 ing experience worth mentioning. Neverthe- 

 less, toward the end of my trip, there befell 

 me one of the most curious and interesting ad- 

 ventures with big game that have ever befallen 

 me during the forty years since I first began to 

 know the life of the wilderness. 



In both Canada and the United States the 

 theory and indeed the practise of preserving 

 wild life on protected areas of land have made 

 astonishing headway since the closing years of 

 the nineteenth century. These protected areas, 

 some of very large size, come in two classes. 

 First, there are those which are public property, 

 where the protection is given by the State. 

 Secondly, there are those where the ownership 

 and the protection are private. 



By far the most important, of course, are the 



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