Preface 



matter bearing on the natural history of North 

 American game and forest preservation. In 

 the present volume an effort is made to devote 

 somewhat more space to the natural history 

 side of our large animals, for the publications 

 of the club should contain material of perma- 

 nent value. Of course, any book, whether 

 on hunting or science, should be interesting, 

 but it should be something else, too. Hunt- 

 ing stories should be more than merely pleas- 

 ant reading. The purposes of the club are 

 serious, and its published papers should be of 

 a lasting character. We wo.uld call special 

 attention to Mr. Low's admirable paper on the 

 Peninsula of Labrador, which is an abstract of 

 his talk given before the club at its last an- 

 nual meeting. The composite chapter on the 

 habits of bears contains some material that is 

 absolutely new, and additional contributions 

 of this nature may confidently be looked for 

 hereafter from members of the club. The big 

 game hunter is a man who travels about with 

 his eyes open, and the more familiar he is with 

 the habits of game the greater will be his suc- 

 cess. The best hunters owe their success less 

 to their skill with the rifle than to the knowl- 

 edge which they have acquired of the game 



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