is a large order. The size of
a yearling is almost absurd, it is so great for an animal of tender
years. When adult, the species is for its height very large and heavy.
As a food-producing animal, located in the southern hill forests and
taking care of itself, "there's millions in it!" But _it must be kept
under fence_; for in no southern (or northern) state would any such mass
of juicy wild meat long be permitted to roam at large unkilled. Through
this species I believe that a million acres of southern timber lands,
now useless except for timber growth, could be made very productive in
choice venison. The price would be,--a good fence, and protection from
poachers.

The Indian sambar deer looks like a short-legged big-bodied understudy
of our American elk. It breeds well in captivity, and it is of quiet
and tractable disposition. It can not live in a country where the
temperature goes down to 25 degrees F. and _remains there for long
periods_. It would, I am firmly convinced, do well all along the Gulf
coast, and if acclimatized along the Gulf, with the lapse of time and
generations it would become more and more hardy, grow more hair, and
push its way northward, until it reached the latitude of Tennessee. But
then, in a wild state it could not be protected from poachers. As stated
elsewhere, Dr. Ray V. Pierce has successfully acclimatized and bred this
species in his St. Vincent Island game preserve, near Apalachicola,
Florida. More than that, the species has crossed with the white-tailed
deer of the Island.

Living specimen of the Indian Sambar deer are worth from $125 to $250,
according to size and other conditions. Just at present it seems
difficult for Americans to procure a sufficient number of _males!_ We
have had very bad luck with several males that we attempted to import
for breeding purposes.

_The Mallard Duck_.--A great many persons have made persistent attempts
to breed the canvasback, redhead, mallard, black duck, pintail, teal and
other species, on a commercial basis. So far as I am aware the mallard
is the only wild duck that has been bred in sufficient numbers to
slaughter for the markets. The wood duck and mandarin can be bred in
fair numbers, but only sufficient to supply the demand for _living_
birds, for park purposes. One would naturally suppose that a species as
closely allied to the mallard as the black duck _is_ known to be, would
breed like the mallard; but the black duck is so timid and n