CHANGES IN SPECIES OF GAME i“

tains must remain as they are for years and years, and the
wild creatures that inhabit them, and without which
most of their charm and romance would be lost, will
continue to exist.

While the appearance of the country may not have
changed much since it was first discovered, there is little
doubt that, to a certain extent,-some species of its game
have changed. Such an animal as the moose was probably
non-existent in British Columbia in the days of Juan de
Fuca, or even at a much later period; and if there were
any deer of the same species as we have now, they were
not plentiful in the southern part of the Province. In
the early days wapiti roamed in great numbers all through
the coast forests and also over most of the bunch-grass
hills of the interior. Then came a severe winter—probably
there was a succession of them—and the mortality amongst
these animals was tremendous, so that but few survivors
remained, and these fell a prey to the starving Indians,
whose chief food supply was taken from them. The horns
of these noble deer are still to be found all over the southern
part of the Province ; in places you will come across some
spot where there are quantities of them together, showing
that they must have died in droves.

After the disappearance of the wapiti it seems that—
according to what a few of the oldest Indians have to tell
—the Columbian deer to the west of the Cascades moun-
tains and the mule deer to the east began to take their
place. There are also indications that about this time
there was a change in the area over which caribou were
to be found in the north. It is likely that they may
formerly have ranged down to the sea. But, after all,
it is only possible to do little more than guess at what
took place in those remote days, and in any event most
people will be far more interested in present conditions.

In spite of the fact that some species of our game in
the more accessible districts have been lamentably deci-
mated, there still remain alluring possibilities for those
who can afford the luxury of extended trips into the more
remote parts, where even to-day there is virgin territory

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