THE PASSING OF THE WILD 315 



other of these objects that man kills most of 

 the wild animals. The wolves, indeed, offered 

 irresistible temptation, since they combined two 

 of these conditions, devouring the farmer's 

 sheep when alive and yielding saleable skins 

 after death. No one, in fact, can reasonably 

 regret their disappearance. 



In fact, with the possible exception of the 

 beavers and squirrels, which may do appreci- 

 able damage in other ways, the majority of the 

 animals killed for their skins are enemies of 

 the stockowner. Bear, ermine, lynx, marten, 

 mink and otter are among them, and of their 

 skins, with those of the beavers, the Hudson's 

 Bay Fur Company's warehouse at Montreal 

 has been known to receive nearly 135,000 in 

 a single year. This seems a terrible toll to 

 take, but at the same time these animals do 

 irreparable damage during their lifetime, and 

 this makes it less outrageous to kill them for 

 the sake of their warm and beautiful skins. 

 No such excuse can be found for the plume- 

 hunters, or rather for the silly fashion that gives 

 them profitable occupation. These assassins 

 have devastated the groves of Florida and 

 the forests of South America with disastrous 

 results. Less than half a century ago, myriads 

 of snow-white egrets were still to be seen 

 wading along the muddy creeks that open 

 on the Gulf of Mexico, and humming-birds 



