172 CIVIC BIOLOGY 



of game. Wild deer are beginning to be seen in eastern Mas- 

 sachusetts, the state allowing but a single week for hunting 

 them and paying all damage which they cause to crops. These 

 damages are increasing, however, so fast that it is a serious 

 question whether such an animal should be allowed to range 

 at large in a state not possessing extensive tracts of waste land. 

 State forest reservations, private hunting preserves, and spe- 

 cial parks will probably solve the problem in such a manner 

 that the species will be preserved and the people permitted to 

 see and enjoy them in their native haunts, while promiscuous 

 damage is prevented. 



The preservation of the fur seal has come to be an inter- 

 national problem which is engaging in its solution the best ex- 

 perts of England, Russia, Japan, and the United States. There 

 is thus a good chance of saving a great industry to the inter- 

 ested nations and a number of fine species of seals to the world. 



As the animals have been trapped off, the price of furs has 

 steadily advanced, until the rearing of fur-bearing animals 

 notably the silver fox is becoming a paying industry. At 

 present prices it ought to be possible to rear many of our fur- 

 bearing animals at enormous profit. ' The beaver," says Pro- 

 fessor Shaler, " particularly the North American form, offers 

 a most attractive opportunity for a great and far-reaching 

 experiment in domestication. On this continent, at least, the 

 creature exhibits a range of attractive qualities which is ex- 

 ceeded by none other in the whole range of the lower mam- 

 malian life." Here is a new field of biological interest, 

 experiment, and human advance in control of animal life which 

 ought to appeal to boys who live on farms affording opportu- 

 nities for such work. Methods of caring for the animals in 

 confinement or under control may be learned to advantage 

 from zoological gardens ; and anything in the way of local 

 " deer farming " or " fur farming " should be studied and 

 reported on by interested members of the class. 



