Reading Time: 10 Minutes. 



AIJlTOUlTCIll.STT; Uncle Sam's naturalists are here again with a story a'oout the 

 Great Ou't-of-Doors . The naturalists find the "bird and animal Icingdom has its 

 cycles and depressions just the same as our world of "business and industry. 

 They tell us ahout some theories on those wild-life cycles as today's story from 

 the United States Biological Survey. 



ooooOoooo — - 



The historic Hudson's Bay Company has kept records on Canada's mid life— . 

 especially the fur animals— for nearly 300 years. 



During those 300 years, the fur company officials have seen Canada's game 

 supplies increase and decrease in more or less regular cycles. For a few years, 

 the game increases; fur animals are plentiful. Then comes a slump. Over the 

 next few years, game is scarce. Indians and trappers in the big woods of the 

 Uorth feel the pinch of depression. Those slumps are reflected in the fur catch 

 and occur at intervals averaging around 10 years. 



naturalists and trappers find evidence of about the same kind of wild- 

 life cycles in the United States as in Cajnada. 



Folks have tried to explain these wild-life cycles in about as many viays 

 as they have tried to explain ausiness cycles and depressions. 



Some say wild life comes and goes because of changes in the food supply. 



Others link up increases and decreases in the numbers of certain game 

 brids and animals with tiie number of coyotes, and wolves, and mountain lions, 

 and other predatory animals and birds. 



Others trace the cycles to spells of overhunting. 



'7c hear a variety of theories. A few folks think the decrease in the num- 

 bers of cortrin birds in one year or over several years may be due to heavy rains 

 during nesting time. Some suggest that wild-life cycles may be due to sun spots. 

 They think these influence the r';nount of sunshine available for vitamin produc- 

 tion in the leaves, and grass, and other vegetation and thus affect the vitality 

 of the birds and animals. 



Well, you can easily see how some of those theoiles may help explain -the 

 rise and fall in the wild-life population. But. Dr. J.E. Shillinger, of the 



