274 ANIMAL COMPETITORS 



from the Caucasus to Kamchatka; the widely 

 spread Virginia or white-tailed deer; the mule 

 or jumping deer of the West; the blacktail of 

 the Pacific coast, and many intermediate sub- 

 species. 



All these are now protected by law as the 

 only means of saving the several species from 

 total extinction by men who, to say the least, 

 are utterly selfish; and there seems no good 

 reason why some of them should not be cul- 

 tivated, so as to form herds whose flesh and 

 skins may be regularly sold as are those of 

 cattle and sheep. This is doubly desirable as 

 an economic movement, since it will not only 

 add to the food-resources of the nation but may 

 be a means of utilizing tracts of rough sterile 

 land which otherwise will continue to lie idle. 



That venison is good food needs no proof, 

 but it is not generally understood that besides 

 having a most attractive flavor, and lending 

 itself well to various methods of cooking, it is 

 in composition and nutrient quality very sim- 

 ilar to beef, and exceeds mutton in food-value, 

 while quite as easily digestible. Venison is in 

 constant demand far greater demand than 



