November 9, 191 1] 



NATURE 



61 



Alaskan variety. Red deer might possibly be induced to 

 enter by the same way in fair numbers over a limited area. 

 The woodland caribou is almost exterminated, but might 

 be resuscitated. The barren-ground caribou is still 

 plentiful in the north. Their tame brother, the reindeer, 

 is being introduced as the chief domestic animal of eastern 

 Labrador, with apparently every prospect of success. 

 Beaver are fairly common and widely distributed in 

 forested areas. Other rodents are frequent — squirrels, 

 musk-rats, mice, voles, lemmings, hares, and porcupines. 

 There are two bats. Black bears are general ; polars in 

 the north. Grizzlies have been traded at Fort Chimo in 

 Ungava, but they are probably all killed out. The lynx 

 is common wherever there are woods. There are two 

 wolves, arctic and timber, the latter now rare in the south. 

 The Labrador red fox is very common in the woods, and 

 the " white," or arctic fox, in the barrens and further 

 south on both coasts. The "cross," "silver," and 

 " black " variations of course occur, as they naturally 

 increase towards the northern limits of range. The 

 "blue" is a seasonal change of the "white." The 

 wolverine and otter are common. The skunk is only 

 known in the south-west. The mink ranges through the 

 southern third of the peninsula. The Labrador marten, 

 or " sable," is a subspecies, generally distributed in the 

 forested parts, like the weasel. The " fisher," or 

 Pennant's marten, is much more local, ranging only 

 between the " North Shore " and Mistassini. 



When we consider how easily wild life can be preserved 

 in Labrador, and how beneficial its preservation is to all 

 concerned, we can understand how the wanton destruc- 

 tion going on there is quite as idiotic as it is wrong. 



Take " egging" as an example. The Indians, Eskimos, 

 and other beasts of prey merely preserved the balance of 

 nature by the toll they used to take. No beast of prey, 

 not even the white man, will destroy his own stock supply 

 of food. But with the nineteenth century came the white- 

 man market " eggers," systematically taking or destroy- 

 ing every egg in every place they visited. Halifax, Quebec, 

 and other towns were centres of the trade. The " eggers " 

 increased in numbers and thoroughness until the eggs 

 decreased in the more accessible spots below paying quanti- 

 ties. But other egging still goes on unchecked. And this 

 is on the St. Lawrence, where there are laws and wardens 

 and fewer fishermen. What about the Atlantic Labrador, 

 where there are no laws, no wardens, many more fisher- 

 men, and ruthless competitive egging between the residents 

 and visitors? Of course, where people must egg or starve 

 there is nothing more to be said. 



And it is just as bad with the birds as with the eggs. 

 A schooner captain says. " Now, boys, here's your butcher 

 shop : help yourselves ! " and this, remember, is in the 

 brooding season. Not long ago the men from a vessel in 

 Cross Harbour landed on an islet full of eiders, and killed 

 every single brooding mother. In the summer of 1907 

 an American millionaire's yacht landed a party who shot 

 as many brooding birds on St. Mary Island as they chose, 

 and then left the bodies to rot and the broods to perish. 

 That was, presumably, for sport. Deer were literally 

 hacked to pieces by construction gangs on new lines last 

 summer. Dynamiting a stream is quite a common trick 

 wherever it is safe to play it. Harbour seals are wantonly 

 shot in deep fresh water where they cannot be recovered, 

 much as seagulls are shot by blackguards from an ocean 

 liner. 



And the worst of it is that all this wanton destruction 

 is not by any means confined to the ignorant or those who 

 have been brought up to it. 



We have had our warnings. The great auk and the 

 Labrador duck have both become utterly extinct within 

 living memory. The Eskimo curlew is decreasing to the 

 danger point, and the yellowlegs is following. The lobster 

 fishing is being wastefully conducted along the St. 

 Lawrence ; so, indeed, are the other fisheries. Whales are 

 diminishing. The walrus is exterminated everywhere in 

 Labrador except in the north. The seals are diminish- 

 ing. The woodland caribou has been killed off to such an 

 extent as to cause both Indians and wolves to die off with 

 nim. The barren-ground caribou is still plentiful, (houfjli 

 dpcreasing. 



All the sound reasons ever given for conserving othrr 



NO. 2193, VOL. 88] 



natural resources apply to the conservation of wild life — 

 and with threefold power. When wild life is squandered 

 it does not go elsewhere, like squandered money ; it cannot 

 possibly be replaced by any substitute, as some inorganic 

 resources are : it is simply an absolute dead loss, gone 

 beyond even the hope of recall. How is Labrador to be 

 brought under conservation, before it is too late, in 

 the best interests of the five chief classes of people 

 who are concerned already, or will be soon ? The five 

 great interests are those of (i) food ; (2) business ; (3) the 

 Indians and Eskimos ; (4) sport ; and (5) the zoophilists, 

 by which I mean all people interested in wild animal life, 

 from zoologists to tourists. 



The resident population is so sparse that there is not 

 one person for every 20,000 acres ; and most of these people 

 live on the coast. Consequently, the vast interior could 

 not be used for food supplies in any case. 



Business is done in fish, whales, seals, fur, game, 

 plumage, and eggs. The fish are a problem apart. But 

 it is worth noting that uncontrolled exploitation is 

 beginning to affect even the countless numbers in certain 

 places. No one wants his business to be destroyed. But 

 if Labrador is left without control indefinitely every busi- 

 ness dealing with the products of wild life will be obliged 

 to play the suicidal game of competitive grab until the last 

 source of supply is exhausted, and capital, income, and 

 employment all go together. 



The Eskimos are few, and mostly localised. The Indians 

 stand to gain by anything that will keep the fur trade in 

 full vigour, as they are mostly hunters and trappers. 

 Restriction on the number of skins, if that should prove 

 necessary, and certainly on the sale of all poisons, could 

 be made operative. 



Sport should have a great future in Labrador. The 

 extension and enforcement of proper game laws would 

 benefit sport directly, while indirectly benefiting all the 

 other interests. 



The zoophilist class seems only in place as an after- 

 thought. But I am convinced that it will soon become of 

 at least equal importance with any other. .'\11 the people, 

 from zoologists to tourists, who are drawn to such places 

 by the attraction of seeing animal life in its own surround- 

 ings already form an immense class in every community ; 

 and it is a rapidly increasing class. 



Partly because Quebec has taken the lead in legislation, 

 and partly because an ideal site is ready to hand under its 

 jurisdiction, I would venture to suggest the immediate 

 establishment of an absolute sanctuary for all wild birds 

 and mammals along so much of the coast as possible on 

 either side of Cape Whittle. The best place of all to 

 keep is from Cape Whittle eastward to Cape Mekattina, 

 sixty-four miles in a straight line by sea. Cape Whittle 

 is a great landmark for coasting vessels and for the seal 

 herds as well. A refuge for seals is absolutely necessary 

 to preserve their numbers and the business connected with 

 them. The case of the birds is quite as strong, and the 

 chance of protection by this sanctuary much greater. 



There is the further question — affecting all migratory 

 animals, but especially birds — of making international 

 agreements for their protection. There are precedents for 

 this, both in the Old World and in the New; and. so far 

 as the United States is concerned, there should be no 

 great difficulty. Immediate steps should be taken to link 

 our own h\xA sanctuaries with the splendid .American 

 chain of them which runs round the Gulf of Mexico and 

 up the Atlantic roast to within easy reach of th^ boundary 

 line. Corresponding international chains up the Mississ- 

 ippi and along the Pacific would be of immense benefit 

 to all species, and more particularly to those unfortunate 

 ones which are forced to migrate down along the shore 

 and back by the middle of the continent, thus running the 

 deadly gauntlet both by land and sea. 



Inland sanctuaries are more difficult to choose and 

 manage. \ deer sanctuary might answer near James Bav. 

 Fur sanctuaries must also be in some fnirlv accessible 

 places on the seaward sides of the vnrlmis heights-of-land. 

 and not too far in. The evergreen ^m, idi. < of the East- 

 main River have several favourable -^poi-. Whnt is needed 

 most is an immediate examination In .1 tr.iinod zoologist. 

 '\\\c existing information should h-> ludiit^Iit ioij;riher and 

 ciirf^fullv digestod for him in advance. 



