160 WILD LIFE CONSERVATION 



smuggle them in, in their bags of clothing or inside 

 their shirts. Fancy an animal with the murderous 

 ferocity of a mink, the agility of a squirrel, the pene- 

 tration of a ferret and the cunning of a rat, infesting 

 our thickets and barnyards. The mongoose can live 

 in the South wherever a rat, raccoon or opossum can 

 live; and not for a million dollars could any one of 

 the southern or Pacific states afford to have a pair 

 of those little gray fiends imported and set free. If 

 such a calamity ever should occur, all wheels should 

 stop until the calamity-breeders were caught and 

 pulverized. If Herpestes griseus ever finds a real 

 lodgment in any state or national forest, or in any 

 private forest, the forest rangers will then be called 

 upon to fight the worst pest that ever fastened upon 

 our country. 



In concluding this subject, we wish to point out 

 the fact that on the subject of pests and alleged 

 pests among wild birds and mammals, there are 

 endless opportunities for differences of opinion. 

 The handling of the questions that will arise before 

 every forester calls for calm judgment and a judi- 

 cial mind that is open to conviction, but is not to be 

 swayed by every wave of local resentment or emo- 

 tion. In every case of doubt, the young judge must 

 bear in mind the wise injunction of Holy Writ, 

 which says : "Prove all things ; hold fast that which 

 is good." 



