486 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII, No. 952 



conservative estimate would place tlie revenue 

 to North America as a whole for the last 

 seventy-five years from the furs of the raccoon, 

 badger, wolverine, fisher, marten, mink, otter, 

 red fox and large striped skunk at $222,735,- 

 000, and to the United States at $113,950,000. 

 This is an average value per year of a little 

 less than $3,000,000 to North America as a 

 whole, and $1,500,000 to the United States. 

 Three million dollars is the interest at four 

 per cent, on $75,000,000 and $1,500,000 is the 

 interest at four per cent, on $37,500,000. 



Thus a conservative estimate shows that 

 $37,500,000 is the "capital invested" by the 

 United States in the fur-bearing mammals 

 listed. These figures, while not especially 

 large, do indicate that the fur value of these 

 species has been appreciable! It should be 

 remembered, too, that the furs of such damage- 

 doing species as bear, coyote, wolf, mountain 

 lion, lynx and wild cat are not listed in this 

 estimate. That the fur trade total would be 

 considerably swelled by the inclusion of the 

 last-named mammals is indicated by the fact 

 that Brass" has shown that the annual value 

 of all North American furs during the years 

 1907-09 averaged one hundred million marks, 

 or about $25,000,000. My estimates given 

 above are probably below the actual figures 

 even for the species included. Twenty-five 

 million dollars is the interest at four per cent, 

 on $625,000,000, which represents the approxi- 

 mate money-value of all North American fur- 

 bearing mammals. 



It is clearly apparent that there are good 

 economic reasons for the protection of some 

 of our mammals at least. The need of con- 

 servation is beginning to be keenly felt in 

 California, where trappers in the Sacramento 

 Valley recently testified to the writer that 

 practically all fur-bearing species are rapidly 

 decreasing. There is much wanton destruction 

 of these animals during the summer season 

 when their fur is worthless. The grizzly bear, 

 the noblest member of our California fauna, 

 is now practically extinct. The sea-otter, 

 possessing the highest fur value of all our 

 mammals, formerly existed in great numbers 



'"Aus dem Eeiche der Pelze, " 1911, p. 356. 



o£E the coast of western America, and is also 

 a vanishing species. The dismal story of 

 dwindling numbers and final extinction seems 

 about to be repeated in the eases of certain 

 animals with which we are now dealing as 

 though the " manor of living nature " was 

 inexhaustible. 



We are confronted with two facts: first, 

 America's crop of fur is economically profit- 

 able, and second, the mammals on which this 

 harvest depends are in most cases decreasing 

 in numbers. We may dispose of these mam- 

 mals in one of two ways: (a) They may be 

 appropriated to man's use as rapidly as pos- 

 sible, with no thought of future supply. Their 

 money-value thus becomes a perfectly definite 

 sum, which can not be added to when the 

 species become extinct. (fe) They may be 

 wisely conserved, heed being paid to the 

 future. Their economic value under this 

 method would either remain at about the fig- 

 ure at which it now stands, or would increase, 

 and the fur-bearing mammals would be of 

 permanent instead of transitory worth in dol- 

 lars and cents. For instance, in California 

 we could count on a quarter of a millon dol- 

 lars coming into the state annually which 

 would not otherwise find its way here. 



Upon proposing legislation it becomes im- 

 mediately apparent that there are difiiculties. 

 Several of the animals mentioned are charged 

 with various offences against the farmer. 

 Others are to some extent predatory on game 

 fishes and game birds. There is strong sus- 

 picion in the minds of some that their depre- 

 dations are in' many cases not so serious as 

 certain of the indictments against them would 

 indicate. But the lack of information does 

 pointedly emphasize the need for more data 

 as to their numbers and habits. 



Nature-history museums may be relied 

 upon for some of these desiderata, but at best 

 there is no doubt that our knowledge is yet 

 fragmentary and inconclusive. A state trap- 

 per's license, be it ever so small, would give 

 data as to numbers of trappers and amount 

 of trapping done which would be invaluable 

 to legislators desiring to adopt a wise con- 

 servation policy. Perhaps more important 



