INTRODUCTION 1 1 



that would be quite incapable of mastering it. If man or 

 dog comes close up, there is of course danger from the for- 

 midable jaws and sharp claws; but commonly the danger is 

 only to the pack. Only in very rare cases is there any to 

 the hunter. Owing to the cougar's habits, the only method of 

 pursuing it which offers any reasonable chance of success is 

 with hounds. It is occasionally killed by accident without 

 hounds, but under such circumstances the chances of success 

 are so small as not to warrant even the most skilful hunter 

 making a practice of pursuing it in this manner. 



Mr. Wallihan is not only a good photographer, but a lover 

 of nature and of the wild life of the wilderness. His pictures 

 and his descriptions are good in themselves as records of a fas- 

 cinating form of life which is passing away. Moreover, they 

 should act as spurs to all of us to try to see that this life does 

 not wholly vanish. It will be a real misfortune if our wild 

 animals disappear from mountain, plain and forest, to be found 

 only, if at all, in great game preserves. It is to the interest of 

 all of us to see that there is ample and real protection for our 

 game as for our woodlands. A true democracy, really alive to its 

 opportunities, will insist upon such game preservation, for it is 

 to the interest of our people as a whole. More and more, as it 

 becomes necessary to preserve the game, let us hope that the 

 camera will largely supplant the rifle. It is an excellent thing 

 to have a nation proficient in marksmanship, and it is highly un- 

 desirable that the rifle should be wholly laid by. But the shot 

 is, after all, only a small part of the free life of the wilderness. 



