Page 350 - Our Vanishing Wild Life

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328 OUR VANISHING WILD LIFE
taken along with other cases of which we know, estabhshes a new and importantprincipleinevolution. Itisthis
When healthy wild animals are established in a state of nature, either absolutely free, or confined in preserves so large that they roam at will, seek the food of nature and take care of themselves, in-and-in breeding produces no ill effects, and ceases to be a factor. The animals develop in physical perfection according to the climate and their food supply; and the introduc-
tion of new blood is not necessary.
The Fallow Deer on the Island of Lambay.—In the Irish vSea,
a few miles from the southeast coast of Ireland, is the Island of Lambay, ownedbyCecilBaring,Esq. Theislandispreciselyonesquaremilein area, and some of its sea frontage terminates in perpendicular cliffs. In many ways the island is of unusual interest to zoologists, and its fauna has been well set forth by Mr. Baring.
In the year 1892 three fallow deer (Dama vtilgaris) a buck and two does, were transplanted from a park on the Irish mainland to Lambay, and there set free. From that slender stock has sprung a large herd, which, but for the many deer that have been purposely shot, and the really considerable number that have been killed by going over the cliffs in stormy weather, the progeny of the original three would to-day number severalhundredhead. Nonewbloodhasbeenintroduced,andnodeer have died of disease. Even counting out the losses by the rifle and by accidental death, the herd to-day numbers more than one hundred head.
Mr. Baring declares that neither he nor his gamekeeper have ever been able to discover any deterioration in the deer of Lambay, either in size, weight, size of antlers, fertility or general physical stamina. The deterioration through disease, especially tuberculosis, that always is dreaded and often observed in closely in-bred domestic cattle, has been totally absent.
In looking about for wild species that have been transplanted, and that have thriven and become beneficial to man, there seems to be mighty littlegameinsight! Thevastmajoritybelonginthenextchapter. We
will venture to mention the bob white quail that were introduced into Utah in 1871, into Idaho in 1875, and the California valley quail in Wash- ingtonin1857. Wherevertheseeffortshavesucceeded,theresultshave been beneficial to man.
In 1879 a well-organized effort was made to introduce European quail into several of the New England and Middle States,—to take the place of the bob white, we may suppose,—the bird that "can't stand the winters!" Aboutthreethousandbirdsweredistributedandsetfree, andwentdownandout,justasmighthavebeenexpected. Duringthe past twenty years it is safe to say that not less than $5500,000 have been expended in the northern states, and particularly in the northeastern states, in importing live quail from Kansas, the Indian Territory, Okla- homa, Texas, the Carolinas and other southern states, for restocking areas from which the northern bob white had been exterminated by foolish over-shooting ! I think that fully nine-tenths of these efforts have