THE PROBLEM OF DOMESTICATION 257 



their eggs. Similar coast parks should be established on the 

 shores of the Pacific. Yet other closed areas would be needed 

 in the interior, the evidently desirable fields lying in the 

 region about the headwaters of the Mississippi, in the Adi- 

 rondacks, in the mountains of North Carolina, in the lower 

 part of the Mississippi delta, in Arizona, and at least two 

 points in Alaska ; one of these should afford a place of refuge 

 for the persecuted fur seals and another for the musk-ox. 



At first sight it may seem to be a simple matter to accom- 

 modate the wild life of a country on a relatively small piece 

 of land. So far, indeed, as the plants, the insects, and the 

 lesser mammalian life are concerned, an area of a few hun- 

 dred acres will serve very well for their safe harborage, but 

 when it comes to protecting the larger birds and mammals we 

 see how easily the natural balance of life is by some chance 

 influence destroyed. A capital instance of this difficulty 

 which arises when preservation is essayed on small areas has 

 recently been forced on my attention. In Dukes County, 

 Massachusetts, there is the vanishing remnant of an interest- 

 ing bird known from the island to which it is limited as the 

 Martha's Vineyard prairie chicken. It is closely related to 

 its better known Western kinsman, yet is a distinct variety. 

 Although the form has apparently developed on the island 

 and once abounded there, it has dwindled in numbers until 

 there are but few surviving. In the hope of providing a safe 

 refuge for the remnant, I have for a number of years stopped 

 all shooting on a tract of a thousand or two acres which is 



o 



well fitted to supply them with food and shelter. As they 

 still dwindled, it seemed probable that the foxes were harming 

 them. This appeared the more likely for the reason that the 

 fox is not a native of the island, but was introduced a few 



17 



