12 THE WILDERNESS AND JUNGLE 



this little " Great" Britain of oursof the 

 quiet meadows with their moles and rabbits, 

 little woods that would scarcely hide an 

 elephant, rivers that are mere rills, lakes that 

 might be ponds, and mountains little more than 

 anthills when compared with the splendid 

 majesty of Himalaya or the Rockies. Instead 

 of such miniature scenes, we have to consider 

 the Wilderness desert, jungle, or mountain- 

 vast, mysterious, in parts still untrodden by 

 man, and the last stronghold of many beautiful 

 or interesting creatures on the verge of dis- 

 appearance. 



Here also, with some exceptions, the spirit 

 of moderation should be encouraged, and 

 something is said of this in the concluding 

 chapter. The Passing of the Wild is inevit- 

 able, but it may be indefinitely delayed by 

 well-framed game-laws, which should limit the 

 bag in the case of all animals save those which 

 are dangerous, and which should entirely 

 protect such species as are threatened with ex- 

 tinction. The " Society for the Preservation 

 of the Wild Fauna of the Empire " has chosen 

 a clumsy title, but does admirable work in this 

 direction, and an equally satisfactory spirit of 



