32 CONSERVATION OF CANADIAN WILD LIFE 



the provincial government has now declared can prevent 

 their reduction to the point of extermination. 



In British Columbia the wisdom of adequate protection 

 has been demonstrated by the increase of the wapiti, both 

 on the mainland and on Vancouver Island. The largest 

 numbers of wapiti on the mainland are to be found in the 

 East Kootenay and Rocky Mountains regions. The fol- 

 lowing reports by two officers of the Geological Survey of 

 Canada have been furnished to me. Mr. R. C. McDonald, 

 writing on December 12, 1916, states: ''Near the summit of 

 the White River and southwest of Mount Fox in British 

 Columbia, I saw several herds of elk. This section is not 

 within the park [Rocky Mountains Park, Alta.] boundaries, 

 and, as it is the only place where I saw elk during the 

 season, I consider that they should be well protected in 

 order that they may multiply and finally find their way 

 into the park." Mr. D. A. Nichols, writing on December 

 11, 1916, states: "In the section covered during 1915 and 

 1916 in British Columbia and Alberta, the big game, es- 

 pecially the elk, goat, sheep, deer and bear, were very plen- 

 tiful. At the headwaters of the Palliser, Spray, Elk, and 

 Kananaskis Rivers, the elk, which at one time were nearly 

 extinct, are increasing rather rapidly, so that bands from 

 ten to twenty-five were seen quite frequently. It has been 

 rumoured that the season for elk was to be thrown open. 

 It seems to me that they should be protected for some time 

 to come in order that they might increase sufficiently so 

 that they could spread out to the foot-hills where at one 

 time they were so prevalent. In early times they roamed 

 over the plains and foot-hills, and have only taken refuge 

 in the mountainous sections on account of excessive hunt- 

 ing. Efficient protection will still have to be granted to 

 them, for the band that I saw were so tame that we could 

 ride up to within 150 yards of them with the saddle-horses 

 and pack-train. If they are hunted in these valleys they 



