HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 293 
time immemorial. This species is the San Joaquim Valley clk. It has 
been exterminated, except in a small area south of Tulare Lake. 
Mr. Bowre. What is the advantage of these elk? For game? 
Mr. Merriam. No special advantage. The elk is supposed to be the 
noblest game animal we have; and we, as a nation, are concerned in 
preventing the extinction of our game animals as long as we can. 
That is what every civilized nation has tried to do. 
Mr. Bowrz. Do you think the society of Elks will object to the 
extinction ? 
The Cuarrman. If they can not take care of themselves, you will 
admit they are of no good to anybody. 
Mr. Merriam. When fenced in. They would not stay there at all 
if left there now. They would return. The valley is all under culti- 
vation, or under cattle range, and is fenced land. 
The Cuarrman. What would become of them if they were simply 
turned loose ? 
bee Merriam. They would return to the valley that we took them 
out of. 
The Cuatrman. What harm would that do? 
Mr. Merriam. They would be killed. Their tusks are worth from 
$10 to $30 apiece there—are in much demand by the society of Elks. 
It is only because they are so isolated in this range country that they 
have not been exterminated before this. 
Mr. Scorr. How long will they have to be kept under fexce to have 
them become acclimatized to their new habitat? 
Mr. Merriam. We have taken pains to select a place which is almost 
climatically the same. There is no snow in the lower part of the range, 
and it is where they can go upona still higher ground in the moun- 
tains in the summer, where the conditions are, as near as possible to 
get, to those they live under now. 
The Cnarrman. How many acres do you propose to fence in? 
Mr. Merriam. I do not know; we have not measured it up in that 
way. We have selected a strip along the river, and have a man in 
there now measuring it and laying out the line of the fence we will 
have to build. 
The Cuarrman. Will the river follow the fence on one side? 
Mr. Merriam. No. It will in part, but in part it will not. But 
we want to use in part some natural cliffs in the lower part of the 
Keweah canyon—extend up into the canyon far enough so that we can 
utilize this line of cliffs, and not be obliged to build any fence on that 
part. We can not build the fence for less than $2,000, and that money 
ought to be immediately available. Miller & Lux are very much dis- 
pleased that we have not already taken the herd off their hands. 
The Cuarrman. Why do they want to get rid of them? 
Mr. Merriam. Because they consume a great deal of alfalfa and a 
great deal of grain. They have had various offers from other parties 
to take these elk, but they do not want to put them where they will 
be exterminated, and they think the Government ought to take them 
and put them in one of its reserves. After the cost of the fence, the 
cost of maintaining will be very little, indeed. 
Mr. Bowie. Do they multiply very rapidly? 
Mr. Merriam. They have been holding their own apparently for 
some years. 
Mr. Brooxs. What about these societies? 
