Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1911-02-10
Pnent Introduces Antelope
Into OkIah o ma,

culture of the receipt in good condition
of eight head of antelope, which came
from the National herd in the Yellow
stone Park. Through the generosity of
members of the Boone and Crockett
club of New York funds were furnished
for capturing and transporting these
animals from Wyoming to Oklahoma.
The news of the arrival of the ante
lope at their destination has been re-
ceived with satisfaction by the depart
ment officials, who are much interested
in the attempt to preserve this interest
ing game animal.
The pronghorned antelope is unlike
any other antelope on the face of the
earth, and has so many peculiarities that
naturalists class it in family by itself.
Formerly existing by thousands on our
open western plains, it has now been so
reduced in numbers that its absolute
extinction is certain in the very near
future unless protection is given to the
few remaining. 1t does not do well
east of the Mississippi river, and can
not be successfully bred in captivity,
but it thrives if allowed to roam
practically free within large enclosures
and under conditions closely approach
ing the natural ones.
In 1908 the Biological Survey esti-
mated that the total number of ante
lopes in the United States had been re-
duced to 1900. Of these about 10, 900
were in Montana, Wyoming, and the
Yellowstone National Park, and the re-
naming 1000 were distributed in IL
other States.
On the Wichita Game Refuge it is
hoped that the antelope will find them
selves in surroundings suited to their
increase. The Wichita is really a
national forest, and Game Warden
Rush acts as its supervisor and attends
to all the business involved in its adj
ministration. But on the Wichita,
which was set aside by act of Congress
as National Game Refuge because of
its especial suitability to act as a breed
ing place for the wild creatures of the
plains and lower Rocky Mountain
regions, the Importance of the game
work has overshadowed the ordinary
uses of national forest. There are
over $50 national forests, but only two
National Game Refugees.
This does not mean that outside of
those refugees the game on the national
forests is not protected, for the National
Forest officers are uniformly instructed
to see that the game laws of the various
States are observed on their forests, in
so far as they can do this in justice to
their other duties. Many of the forest
officers are regularly appointed deputy
state game wardens, and it is the policy
of the department of agriculture to en-
courage their acting in this capacity
when they can do so without prejudice
to their work as forest officers. They
are not, however, expected to go off the
laws of the States, nor can they make
enforcement Of game laws their princi-
pal occupation. The work of a forest
officer in looking after Uncle Sans af-
fairs generally insures his being pretty
busy man, and what he does in enforcing
game laws can only be incidental to
selling timber, protecting the forests
from fires, looking after grazing mat.
tiers, and responding to the various
other calls which use of the forests by
the public involves.
Ordinarily, game matters pertain to
the States, and not to the National
Government. The State prescribes
when and under what conditions game
may be killed. If it desires TO prohibit
the killing of game in certain parts OF
the State, in order that the game may
breed there, and these parts of the
States are within the national forests,
the government cooperates with the
State to carry out the law. Such CO.
operation may require the closing of
fixed areas of the National Forests to
grazing, for when big game becomes
plentiful it must have sufficient food
supply left on the range to carry it
through the winter, or it will succumb
for lack of sustenance. If the range is
fully utilized by cattle and sheep dur
ing the summer, elk and deer will fare
hardly in the winter.
In the Wichita and the Grand Canyon
Refugees the Government has not left
the matter of caring for game pro.
lection wholly to the States, but has
established national reservations or
which an attempt will be made to breed
game. The Wachita is notable for the
fact than it has a small herd of buffalo
upon it, which the game warden regards
as the apple of his eye. They were
donated by the American Bison society
| ap6 cbinna1 from, tba Nau, Vo,l~ H.