The Condition of Wild Life in Alaska 



hanced by the continued legal protection of wild 

 animals, which at the best are a pest and at the 

 worst a fatal menace to human life, popular respect 

 for law and the administration of government is 

 not increased. The long list of legal outrages 

 which are perpetrated by the present game law 

 would be promptly abolished if Congress, in its 

 wisdom, had seen fit to entrust this simple and ele- 

 mentary subject of legislation to the new Terri- 

 torial General Assembly." 



As a further evidence of this gentleman's quali- 

 fications as game expert and zoologist, I quote still 

 further from his report of 1912: 



"An intimation of the present incongruous con- 

 dition is given when it is stated that brown bears 

 are denominated as game, and are protected by the 

 game regulations, while black bears are regarded 

 as fur-bearing animals, subject to the regulations 

 administered by the Bureau of Fisheries. Yet the 

 workings of nature are such that of the same litter 

 some bears are black and others are brown." 



Thus the cinnamon bear of the West has become 

 transformed into the gigantic Alaska brown bear 

 through the "mysterious workings of nature. 1 ' 



It is to be hoped that the new Governor of 

 Alaska will inform himself on the facts and acquire 

 some elementary knowledge of the subject before 



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