A LOOK BACKWARD 



523 



state of things is that a considerable proportion of the 

 men who formerly followed the dog afield, and a very 

 large proportion of their descendants, have taken to 

 shooting targets at the trap, for the reason that within 

 the reach of most of us there are no birds to be had. 



I have never advocated the introduction into this 

 country of foreign species of game, believing that our 

 native species answer our requirements better than any 

 foreign birds, and believing also that there is great 

 danger in introducing exotic species into any country. 

 I have believed that by the establishment of game 

 refuges in various sections of the country the native 

 game might be preserved and increased to such an ex- 

 tent that it would overflow into adjacent territory, and 

 that thus in each game refuge we should have a perma- 

 nent source of supply which would at least prevent the 

 extinction of species for any locality. I feel about the 

 introduction of exotic species much as does Mr. Brews- 

 ter, who, in his "Memoir on the Birds of the Cam- 

 bridge Region," says, speaking of the pheasant : 



"From the standpoint of the naturalist, the introduc- 

 tion of most exotic forms of animal life must be a 

 matter of regret rather than of satisfaction, and these 

 pheasants, despite their undeniable beauty of form and 

 coloring, and reported value as game, seem deplorably 

 out of place in a New England landscape. Even if they 

 did not crowd out our quail or ruffed grouse as it 

 has been feared they may or devastate our cultivated 

 crops as they are already accused of doing it would 

 have been much wiser to expend the time and money 



