Wapiti or Elk 47 



Government officials, but the latter has been re-stocked chiefly 

 through the efforts of a private "Society for Restoration of 

 the Moose, the Wapiti, and the Beaver to the Adirondacks." 



The energetic Secretary, Harry V. Radford, has sent me 

 the following particulars: 



"The first liberations occurred in June, 1901, when 22 

 Wapiti, donated to the State by the late William C. Whitney — 

 a vice-president of the Restoring Association — were released 

 on State land near Raquette Lake. Whitney donated addi- 

 tional Wapiti in 1902 and 1903, his total gifts to the State 

 reaching nearly 90. The Park Commissioners of the City of 

 Binghamton, N. Y., contributed 5 Wapiti in 1903, and this 

 spring (March, 1906) we obtained from Austin Corbin 26 

 Wapiti, which were successfully released under the super- 

 vision of State officials. 



"The latest estimate of the Commission (September, 

 1905) placed the number of wild Wapiti in the Adirondacks 

 at 250. Add to this number Corbin's donation and the 

 natural increase since, and the number of Adirondack Wapiti 

 at the present time, February 11, 1907, is close upon 400, and 

 rapidly increasing. These are widely distributed, and seem 

 to thrive even better than the native Deer. Additional dona- 

 tions are expected, and a few more years ought to complete 

 the restoration of the Wapiti.'* 



In Manitoba there are to-day, I believe, more Wapiti pri:sext 

 than at any time since 1850. From Charles Barber, Chief ' 

 Game Warden, I learn that In 1906 about 445, and in 

 1907 365 Wapiti were legally killed in the Province. But 

 the number killed by Indians and white hunters, and not 

 recorded, must raise the annual total at least to 1,000. To 

 stand this drain and still Increase as they do, the numbers 

 must be fully five times as great, or, say, 5,000. I offer 

 this as a conservative estimate of the numbers of Wapiti In 

 Manitoba to-day (1907). 



Unfortunately, these extensions of range have been more 

 than offset by the shrinkage elsewhere. 



