s kills on the average fifty deer a
year. Many of the states offer bounties for the killing of the mountain
lion and coyote.

Ordinarily birds are able to secure their own food; but sometimes
during long, snowy winters those that do not fly away South need food.
There are also many trees which bear fruit that is not much used by us
but which is very attractive to the birds. The planting of such trees
aids in bringing birds to our homes and encourages their increase.

[Illustration: We can help to conserve bird life by providing safe
nesting places for our feathered friends.]

The settlement of the lands suitable to farming has deprived some of the
hoofed animals, such as the elk, of their natural feeding grounds. The
elk that are found in the summer in the meadows of the Yellowstone Park
migrate in winter to the lower valleys outside of the park. These
valleys are mostly fenced up, and to keep the elk from getting into
trouble with the farmers it is often necessary for the government to buy
hay and feed them.

In order to make sure that the wild animals shall be free to live and
increase safe from the hunter, we have established great game preserves
in different parts of the country. These are usually regions that are
wild and unsettled and not useful for other purposes. All the great
National Parks which we are trying to keep in their natural condition
with their animals, birds, and plants are now game preserves. Among them
are the Yellowstone, Yosemite, Rainier, and Crater Lake parks. Visitors
to these preserves are not allowed to carry any guns, and wardens
constantly patrol them.

The life of the Yellowstone Park is wonderfully interesting. Here we
find droves of many of the animals that were in danger of becoming
extinct. Among them are the buffalo, elk, and antelope. Here the grizzly
and all the lesser bears are safe from the hunter. They have almost lost
their fear of man and come about the camps and hotels for food, as the
domestic animals do. In the park are some colonies of beaver, too, which
will never again be disturbed by the fur hunter. On the higher peaks are
a few Rocky Mountain sheep.

Another way in which we are protecting the wild animals is by making it
legal to hunt them during only a short time each year. This is called
the "open season." In the case of some of the animals that are nearly
extinct we have made a "closed season" extending through a number of
years. With this protection we