PACKHORSES UNKNOWN 171 



us that before the advent of sheep grass grew so 

 luxuriously that a yearling calf lying in it could 

 not be seen. Not only has the grass here been 

 eaten, but the roots tramped out and killed by 

 the hoofs of thousands upon thousands of sheep, 

 and now wide areas where not long since grass 

 was so plentiful are as bare and desolate as sand 

 piles. 



The destruction of game had so far advanced 

 in 1907 that it was deemed wise to prohibit all 

 hunting of deer, elk, antelope, mountain sheep, 

 otter, or beaver within the State for a period of 

 four years. Section 21 of the Fish and Game 

 Law provides that the penalty for killing, pos- 

 sessing, selling, or offering for sale any of these 

 animals or parts thereof shall be a fine of not 

 less than one hundred dollars and imprisonment 

 of not less than sixty days for each offense, and 

 leaves no choice between fine or imprisonment. 

 Consulting a copy of the Fish and Game Law 

 given me by the Commissioner, I find a curious 

 conflict in this section (Section 21). In one 

 paragraph there is an absolute prohibition 

 against killing, shooting at, possessing, etc., any 

 deer, elk, and other enumerated animals, at any 

 season, within the State. The following para- 

 graph, however, provides: 



"It shall be lawful for any resident to kill 



