The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-03-14
HAT a glorious heritage
of game, both bird and
beast, was bequeathed

NEIZE8EH of game, both bird and
nSa&SNBEH beast, was bequeathed
lQg2gg by the Indians to our
forebears, and with what prodi-
gality has it been wasted by them
and by ourselves! Neither motives
of humanity nor far-sighted pre-
science deferred the Indian from
wanton slaughter of game. He
killed animals and birds, however,
not for sport, but for food, shelter
and clothes, and the very album
dance of game and his imperfect
weapons made game laws restric-
tive measures in his time as I'M
necessary as they were undreamed
of.
Very different are present day
conditions. Of the almost infinite
number of game birds and animals
that once filled our mountains and
valleys only a small remnant is
left. The buffalo, that ranged
from the Atlantic to beyond the
Rocky Mountains and blackened
the plains with it's countless num-
bers, is practically extinct in its
wild state; the antelope, bands of
which everywhere dotted the
plains, is rapidly approaching the
same fate; moose and caribou,
though still accruing over much
of their former range, are being
greatly reduced in numbers;
while elk, deer, and mountain
sheep are quite unknown over
much of the territory they former
ly inhabited.
Our game birds are facing the
same fate. The present genera
ton knows not the wild pigeon,
flocks of which used to darken the
sun as they swept across the coun-
try, and various species of grouse
and quail have been decimated in
many regions till only beggarly
remnant remains. And even the
ducks and geese, that with the
changing seasons once thronged
our tidal waters and waterways,
and have been so mercilessly
slaughtered that the future pros
poets of more than one species
looks dark. All of our waders
have been reduced in numbers and
many are almost unknown, where
formerly they used to cover the
sand and mud flats.
Such facts sufficiently emphasize
the need of game protection, and
the study of ways and means of
preserving such of our game birds
and animals as still survive is re-
garded as one of the pressing du-
ties of right-thinking Americans.
We Americans did not at first well
come the idea of closed seasons,
license systems, game refugees,
game wardens, and the other
measures necessary for the protec-
ton of wild life.
To our forefathers of not long
ago the privilege of killing game
when needed was an absolute ne
cessity, and we have long been &C
customed to the idea that game is
public property, to be appropriated
by the first conner, that we do not
take kindly to restrictions of any
sort. Nevertheless both the theory
and practice of game and bird pro-
lection are now rooted in this coun-
try and, simply because of the
self-evident fact that without at
least a measure of protection, there
would soon be no game left. No
duty can be palmer than to so care
for our game animals that the
species may be perpetuated for the
pleasure and use of future genera
tions.
We cannot indeed pass on in full
measure the heritage we received.
but many of our finest game birds
and animals still survive and in
sure future supply, provided we
refrain from wanton slaughter and