196 FOREST OUTINGS 



grows we find that in winter the deer "yard" in these same swamps. When 

 the snow deepens, they feed on the reproduction and lower branches of 

 the trees. If their number becomes excessive, the trees are trimmed as high 

 as the deer can reach, the future forest is damaged, the deer's own food 

 supply is destroyed, and with the next hard winter many will starve. 



Even the plump and timid rabbit may seriously disturb normal forest 

 development. On some forest plantations only half of the trees set out have 

 survived because rabbits have nibbled the tender tops. In such ways as 

 these, the necessity for maintaining a sane relationship between numbers 

 of game and their food supply for critical periods is dramatized in the 

 forest, so that all with eyes may see. 



By studying ecology you become more conscious of all the stir and drama 

 of wildlife. Ecology considers relationships between all things living and 

 seeking a living naturally. You will learn to look for moose in the willow 

 bottoms, elk in the meadows, and mule deer in rocky openings. In much 

 the same way as fishermen know or think they know the haunts of trout 

 in a stream, the nature student learns the haunts of other living creatures. 

 In many people the love for hunting or fishing as a sport is deeply rooted, 

 and no other form of outdoor recreation will serve. The flash of a fish as 

 it jumps for a moth or a fly, the exertion of wading a tumbling stream, the 

 knowledge of trout feeding habits, the art of casting the line so that the 

 fly drops on the water in just the right spot, the fight between man and fish 

 as the line sings and the slim rod bends to the pull these, as well as the crisp 

 trout for supper, are the things for which the sportsman strives. The big- 

 game hunter wants to match his skill and stamina against the cunning, 

 speed, and acute native sense of the wild things. He wants the satisfaction 

 of knowing in advance where an elk will pass, of trailing the game through 

 the snow-covered forest, of placing the shot in a vital spot, and of dressing 

 out the kill with simple tools. 



Not only do our national forests include most of the species usually found 

 in a wildlife census; they also have many kinds of animals, birds, and fish not 

 commonly known. The alligator, found in some rivers and bayous on the 

 Choctawhatchee National Forest in Florida, is a fascinating creature. The 

 condor, for whose preservation a special sanctuary has been proclaimed on 



