2 CONSERVATION OF CANADIAN WILD LIFE 



not imply the total destruction of the wild life, but that t 

 civilization in its true sense signifies the elimination of the 

 spirit of barbarism and the introduction of an enlightened 

 attitude. 



The problems, therefore, confronting us involve a knowl- 

 edge of the following questions: Of what does our wild life 

 consist; what is its value; what are the factors that are 

 responsible for its reduction and ultimate extermination; 

 what steps are we taking to conserve it, and how can we 

 improve on present methods with a view to conserving a 

 valuable natural resource, the constituent parts of which 

 cannot be replaced once they are lost? In the succeeding 

 chapters these questions will be considered. It is felt that 

 a presentation and discussion of the status of the wild life 

 of Canada will afford the best means of securing that wide 

 sympathy of the people throughout the Dominion that is 

 essential to the success of any measures that have already 

 been taken or may be adopted in the future with the ob- 

 ject of conserving this resource. While in this matter of 

 wild-life conservation we have much to regret in the past, 

 we have reason to be proud of the efforts that we are now 

 making to remedy past mistakes, and a more general reali- 

 zation of our opportunities to improve our national life and 

 welfare through these means will undoubtedly lead to 

 further efforts. It is desirable that, before proceeding 

 further, the classes of animals to be considered in the in- 

 quiry should be specified. The term ''wild life" naturally 

 includes all the members of our native Canadian fauna, but 

 it is obvious that the term must be restricted for our present 

 purposes for the sake of adequate treatment and to avoid 

 digressions into well-recognized groups of our fauna. Strictly 

 speaking, it would include the game, non-game, and fur- 

 bearing mammals, the game and non-game birds, the fishes 

 and other members of our fauna. The conservation of our 

 fishes will not be considered here; it has been the subject of 



