442 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1963 



mephUis), otter {Lutra canadensis) ^ Canada lynx {Lynx canadensis)^ 

 and bobcat {Lynx rufus). Besides the coyote {Canis latrans), pre- 

 viously mentioned, and the various species intentionally introduced, 

 the opossum {Didelphis inarsupialis) made its way into the area (E.. 

 P. Holden, 1959) early in the century. 



As was so often the case in the early days of colonization, the 

 larger game mammals and predators were the first to be reduced. 

 The white-tailed deer disappeared until reintroduced by Corbin. 

 Woodland caribou and moose were apparently never common (Good- 

 win, 193G; C. F. Jackson, 1922). The cougar {Felis concolor) and 

 wolf {Canis lupus) are now gone (Cram, 1925; R. P. Holden, 1959), 

 and the Canada lynx and black bear are rarities. 



DISCUSSION 



Of the 14 species of mammals which were introduced, four — the 

 beaver, boar, elk, and deer — now remain on the Corbin Preserve. 

 Except for the boar, all the exotics were destroyed or died out — ^mute 

 testimony to the need for ecological information before embarking on 

 a transplanting program. In 1962, it is estimated there are over 

 200 elk, upward of 250 boar, and at least 500 deer on the area. 

 Beavers remain, and bears, foxes, and bobcats climb over or through 

 the fences. The principal other game species are ruffed grouse and 

 snowshoe hares. Most of the game is artificially fed during the 

 winter; sacks of feed are dropped from airplanes into clearings for 

 the boar. Fields are mowed to keep them open for grazing. Food 

 patches are planted for wildlife. 



Almost from the start, "No rare, exotic, or purely imaginative beast 

 has been too strange to have 'escaped from Corbin's Park' " (Silver, 

 1957: 122). Elk, moose, and wild boar, derived from the preserve, 

 still roam a considerable surrounding area. Corbin also provided 

 the state with game for stocking purposes. It was through his ex- 

 ample and recommendation that pheasants were introduced to New 

 Hampshire. His experiments in breeding and keeping bison in cap- 

 tivity were almost unique in his time. 



Today, over 70 years since its establishment, the Corbin Preserve 

 still maintains its integrity as a private hunting area. Speaking of 

 this and other parks. Young (1956: 18) writes that "the record of 

 deer parks, when maintained solely for private gain, is with few 

 exceptions that of financial failure." The Corbin Preserve is no ex- 

 ception — but then it was not intended as a financial investment. Its 

 profits lay elsewhere — in the recreational enjoyment it provided, in 

 its contributions to conservation, and to the economy of its community. 

 With reference to the Corbin bison herd, Trefethcn (1961 : 94) states 

 that it "expanded rapidly and assumed great importance in the later 

 restoration efforts." Indeed, this sentiment was expressed nearly 60 



