3 
for purposes of record and scientific study in the future is well recognized, 
but the haunts of the larger and rarer mammals are generally remote and 
comparatively inaccessible. The collecting of specimens becomes, there- 
fore, both laborious and difficult. Few public museums have the resources 
for continuous and thorough work along these lines. Even the notable 
collections of such famous institutions as the British Museum and the 
Smithsonian Institution are largely due to the generous aid and contri- 
butions of private individuals outside of the technical staffs. 
A considerable number of expeditions are made each year by sports- 
men and big-game hunters into remote parts of the country, at considerable 
expense for equipment, transportation, and guides. Though many of the 
finer trophies are preserved and brought home, records are often lost and 
the trophies lose interest after the passing of the individual hunter. Many 
intelligent sportsmen, who enjoy the chase for its own sake, are coming 
to a realization of the scientific and economic waste involved, and by 
taking a little additional thought and care are providing the museums 
of their country with specimens that will be priceless memorials in time to 
come. For Canadians, or for sportsmen who enjoy the privilege of hunting 
in Canada, the National Museum of Canada is the legitimate repository of 
the zoological specimens they gather and which are not desired as personal 
trophies. Such acquisitions will be kept safely, the records preserved, and 
the specimens made available for scientific and educational purposes. 
The small mammals of any district, with the exception of the com- 
moner species of mice, squirrels, etc., are less well known than the larger 
mammals. Even the commonest forms may belong to local races of widely 
ranging species, and the particular forms inhabiting many regions are not 
definitely known. The smaller mammals, as a rule, are preyed upon by 
the larger carnivorous mammals and birds, and have developed secretive 
habits as a necessity for the preservation of their lives. The greater num- 
ber of the small mammals are nocturnal and although their presence 
may be detected by different signs, such as the tracks in dust, mud, or 
snow, the animals themselves are rarely seen unless special methods are 
adopted for capturing them. It is safe to say that in any locality of varied 
topography there are to be found several species of small mammals wffiose 
very name and existence are unknown to more than one person in a 
thousand. Some small mammals are so secretive, and so very local in their 
habitats, that they may even elude for a long time the observation of a 
close student of natural history. For this reason there is a chance to 
discover new forms or species, and as so few districts have been studied 
thoroughly, there is an opportunity to obtain new records almost anywhere. 
Though the study of the larger mammals, valuable commercially for 
flesh and skins, for purposes of sport, or for aesthetic reasons, is of obvious 
importance, and has been pursued in more or less sporadic ways from 
remote antiquity, the importance of the smaller, less conspicuous species 
is rapidly becoming recognized through the researches of modern science. 
Many species of mammals that have no direct economic value as food, 
or for their fur or hides, are nevertheless often of enormous indirect import- 
ance. They must be recognized as beneficial or detrimental to the interests 
of man and if the latter, means must be taken to combat them. Ground 
squirrels, prairie dogs, pocket gophers, and other rodents have caused direct 
damage to grain fields, running into millions of dollars annually in some 
