32 CONSERVATION OF CANADIAN WILD LIFE 
the provincial government has now declared can prevent 
their reduction to the point of extermination. 
In British Columbia the wisdom of adequate protection 
has been demonstrated by the increase of the wapiti, both 
on the mainland and on Vancouver Island. The largest 
numbers of wapiti on the mainland are to be found in the 
East Kootenay and Rocky Mountains regions. The fol- 
lowing reports by two officers of the Geological Survey of 
Canada have been furnished to me. Mr. R. C. McDonald, 
writing on December 12, 1916, states: ‘‘Near the summit of 
the White River and southwest of Mount Fox in British 
Columbia, I saw several herds of elk. This section is not 
within the park [Rocky Mountains Park, Alta.] boundaries, 
and, as it is the only place where I saw elk during the 
season, I consider that they should be well protected in 
order that they may multiply and finally find their way 
into the park.” Mr. D. A. Nichols, writing on December 
11, 1916, states: ‘‘In the section covered during 1915 and 
1916 in British Columbia and Alberta, the big game, es- 
pecially the elk, goat, sheep, deer and bear, were very plen- 
tiful. At the headwaters of the Palliser, Spray, Elk, and 
Kananaskis Rivers, the elk, which at one time were nearly 
extinct, are increasing rather rapidly, so that bands from 
ten to twenty-five were seen quite frequently. It has been 
rumoured that the season for elk was to be thrown open. 
It seems to me that they should be protected for some time 
to come in order that they might increase sufficiently so 
that they could spread out to the foot-hills where at one 
time they were so prevalent. In early times they roamed 
over the plains and foot-hills, and have only taken refuge 
in the mountainous sections on account of excessive hunt- 
ing. Efficient protection will still have to be granted to 
them, for the band that I saw were so tame that we could 
ride up to within 150 yards of them with the saddle-horses 
and pack-train. If they are hunted in these valleys they 
