104 The National Geographic Magazine 



Photo by Osgood, Biological Survey 

 SHELTER-HOUSE ON 1<*0X FARM IN MAINE 



Mfiriani. The Indian was largely de- 

 pendent for his livelihood upon the 

 natural fruits of the earth and upon 

 game, in the same way, though not to the 

 same extent, as were wild animals. Thus 

 the distribution of acorns, camas, pine 

 seeds, wild oats, and the thousand other 

 wild crops, as well as that of the birds 

 and animals which furnished them food 

 and raiment, to a great extent determined 

 the favorite haunts of the aborigines of 

 this continent. 



(',.\MH PROTECTION AND KINDRED SUBJECTS 



What a glorious heritage of game, both 

 1)ird and beast, was bequeathed by the 

 Indians to our forebears, and with what 

 prodigality has it been wasted by them 

 and b)' ourselves ! Neither motives of 

 humanity nor far-sighted prescience de- 

 terred the Indian from wanton slaughter 

 of game. Fle killed animals and birds, 

 however, not for sport, but for food, 

 shelter, and raiment, and the verv abun- 



dance of game and his imperfect weapons 

 made game laws restrictive measures in 

 his time as unnecessary as they were un- 

 dreamed of. 



Very different are present-day condi- 

 tions. Of the almost infinite number of 

 game birds and animals that once filled 

 our mountains and valleys only a small 

 remnant is left. The bufTalo, that ranged 

 from the Atlantic to beyond the Rocky 

 Mountains and blackened the plains with 

 its countless numbers, is practically ex- 

 tinct in its wild state ; the antelope, bands 

 of which everywhere dotted the plains, is 

 rapidly approaching the same fate ; moose 

 and caribou, though still occurring over 

 much of their former range, are being 

 greatly reduced in numbers ; while elk, 

 deer, and mountain sheep are quite un- 

 known over much of the territory thev 

 formerly inhabited. Our game birds are 

 facing the same fate. The present gen- 

 eration knows not the wild pigeon, flocks 

 of which used to darken the sun as thev 

 swept across countr)-. The various 



