AMEKICAN MAMMAL PROBLEMS 171 



These have been an important source of food during the early 

 settlement of the country. 



3. Trapping fur-bearing mammals beaver, otter, marten, 

 sable, badger, muskrat, moles, and others. 



5. Efforts to prevent the total extinction .of valuable species. 



This last feature of the American problem has been late in 

 developing. 



Our destruction of animal game resources is commonly 

 spoken of as wanton, and in many instances this is undoubtedly 

 true. Still the problems are not so simple as they often appear ; 

 for example, thousands of bison were shot for the mere sport 

 of shooting, and the species is now practically extinct in the 

 wild state. This seems a great waste, but it is impossible to 

 use the same range for both bison and domestic cattle, and 

 cattle are much more valuable. The bison herds swept the 

 range cattle with them in their migrations and strewed settlers' 

 fences over the plains. When full-grown they are not amen- 

 able to ordinary means of control and probably could not be 

 profitably domesticated. Even tame buck deer and bull elk 

 are dangerous animals. Rearing the bison in specially fenced 

 preserves is quite a different matter, and has proved at 

 present fancy prices for robes and heads a profitable indus- 

 try. Both the United States and Canada have undertaken to 

 thus safeguard the species from extinction, and the American 

 Bison Society has been recently organized to make sure that 

 the largest, and in many ways most picturesque, American 

 mammal shall never entirely disappear from the earth. 



Those in charge of zoological parks and private forest 

 preserves, as well as of the extensive national forest reserva- 

 tions, are all making preservation of native animals a strong 

 feature of their work. Many states are also beginning to 

 legislate to prevent extermination of valuable animals. Sev- 

 eral states derive considerable revenue from hunting licenses, 

 and, in order to attract sportsmen, must maintain the supply 



