A COUGAR HUNT 9 



and there were gophers or rock-squirrels, and 

 small tree-squirrels, like the Eastern chickarees, 

 and big tree-squirrels — the handsomest squirrels 

 I have ever seen — with black bodies and bushy 

 white tails. These last lived in the pines, were 

 diurnal in their habits, and often foraged among 

 the fallen cones on the ground; and they were 

 strikingly conspicuous. 



We met, and were most favorably impressed 

 by, the forest supervisor, and some of his rangers. 

 This forest and game reserve is thrown open to 

 grazing, as with all similar reserves. Among the 

 real settlers, the home-makers of sense and far- 

 sightedness, there is a growing behef in the wis- 

 dom of the policy of the preservation of the 

 national resources by the National Government. 

 On small, permanent farms, the owner, if reason- 

 ably intelHgent, will himself preserve his own 

 patrimony; but everywhere the uncontrolled use 

 in common of the pubUc domain has meant reck- 

 less, and usually wanton, destruction. All the 

 pubhc domain that is used should be used under 

 strictly supervised governmental lease; that is, 

 the lease system should be applied everywhere 

 substantially as it is now applied in the forest. 

 In every case the small neighboring settlers, the 

 actual home-makers, should be given priority of 

 chance to lease the land in reasonable sized 



