RESULTS OF BEAVERS’ WORK 155 
soon found themselves, as they thought, safe from 
the continual dread of the steel trap, so that new 
colonies established themselves and increased most 
wonderfully. But the wretched beasts were lulled 
into a false security, and what followed for obvious 
reasons cannot be recounted here. Sufficient is it 
to say that great numbers of beavers were killed 
by authority, the number caught and killed in a 
single year I dare not mention, but under the 
clause which reads: “Upon the report of the 
Minister that any species of fur-bearing or game 
animal or bird has increased to such an extent that 
its numbers may be lessened without detriment to 
the Park, or the purposes for which the Park was 
established, the Lieutenant-Governor in Council 
may authorise the taking or killing of such animals 
or birds not exceeding the number specified in 
Order in Council under the direction and super- 
vision of the Superintendent of the Park,” and 
further, in speaking of furs, skins, etc., “May be 
sold by the Minister and the proceeds of the sales 
shall be applied toward defraying the expenses of 
the Park.” The unfortunate and, I venture to 
add, injudicious taking of beaver has continued. 
The results are unsatisfactory from two points of 
view. First, that the beaver has been captured in 
the most accessible parts of the park, so that one of 
the objects of the reserve is defeated. The under- 
lying idea was that in protecting the wild animals, 
and so bringing them to a condition of comparative 
