18 CONSERVATION OF CANADIAN WILD LIFE 
on extermination, of the buffalo was unavoidable, although, 
as will be evident when the matter is more fully discussed 
later, that reduction proceeded at a pace altogether out of 
proportion to its necessity. The buffalo formerly ranged 
over what have proved to be the most valuable grain-grow- 
ing areas of the North American continent. With the set- 
tlement and bringing under cultivation of those areas it 
was inevitable that the range of the buffalo must become so 
seriously restricted as to be a menace to the continued ex- 
istence of this animal. Transcontinental railroads divided 
the herds and hindered their normal migratory movements. 
Settlement followed the railroads. From an economic 
standpoint the case was against the existence of the buffalo 
in anything approaching large numbers. 
To a lesser extent the reduction in the number of the 
antelope was unavoidable, at least so far as its history in 
the Northwestern States and Prairie Provinces of Canada is 
concerned. By the extension of the wheat-lands and the 
gradual reduction in the areas of range country the area 
available for antelope was seriously reduced and circum- 
scribed. That fact, of course, was unavoidable, and led 
to the further reduction by shooting, which was avoidable. 
In a few cases animals have become extinct from natural 
causes which were, of course, unavoidable. The case of 
the Labrador duck (Plate I) affords an illustration of the 
extinction of an animal from unknown causes. 
On the other hand the extermination of other creatures, 
particularly birds, was avoidable. The extermination of 
the passenger pigeon and the great auk was brought about 
mainly by wanton destruction, as unnecessary as one could 
imagine. One of the chief objects of wild-life conservation 
is to prevent the extermination of animals where this is 
avoidable and to maintain the remnant of those animals 
whose reduction to the verge of extermination has been 
brought about by causes which are largely unavoidable as 
