40 



ill luakiiig use of these simple elements to maintain an endurable ami 

 cheerful life, form for the geographer one of the most interesting and 

 satisfactory demonstrations in ecology. The Eskimos live upon the edge 

 of things, where the struggle for existence is so nicely balanced that it 

 is easily upset. The interference of the white man and the introduction 

 of the utensils and habits of civilization, instead of improving their con- 

 dition, is likely to lead to their ultimate extinction. The destruction of 

 the seal and the introduction of coal stoves, baths and bacteria are sufli- 

 clent to bring irretrievable disaster. 



In the "barren ground.s" of tlie arctic tundra the basis of subsistence 

 shifts from sea to land, and the presence of lichens, grass, shrubs, the 

 caribou and the muskox, brings new elements without materially compli- 

 cating the problem. On the whole the barren land breeds a race of men 

 inferior to those of the ice-covered sea. 



In the great Canadian coniferous forest, the caribou plays the leadin;? 

 jtart, furnishing food, clothing, shelter and utensils, much as the seal doe^< 

 en the ice cap. Native human life is hardly le.ss simple and severe than 

 in the barren grounds. In the forest the snow shoe and the birch bark 

 canoe have evolved as jiKinuments of human skill, comparable to nature's 

 handiwork in tlie double overcoat of the muskux and the concave spread- 

 ing hoofs of the caril>ou. Europeans began 200 years ago to reap tho 

 harvest of furs. Trading posts and transitortation lines were established 

 all over the province, and every scpiare mile of it has been the scene of 

 the labors of the lonely trapper, gi'catiy to the iM'ciinlary advantage of th' 

 Hudson Bay Company, and to the luxury of European srtciety, but with 

 little gain in goods or morals to the Indian and the half-lireed. The re- 

 sources of the province in pcltiy have Ihmmi so successfully coiiservcnl that 

 the supply, except in the ca.«e of some si)ecies, such as the beaver, is 

 scarcely diminished. The fur trade has bred men of iron who have spent 

 their strength in getting more furs. An occasional exception, like Lord 

 Strathcona. helps to ennoble the inglorious hei'd. 



The lumberman has cut into the southern fringe of the forest an(' 

 may be expected to extend his oix-rations as fast as the demand for timber 

 justifies the construction of new railroads. At a few points the lure of 

 gold has led to the irruption of civilization in isolated chunks. The 

 phenomenon of a city like Dnwson or Fairbanks, with local railroads, 

 electric lights, telegraphs, newspapers, ix)lice and dog sledge mail service. 



