t drew their
sleds over the snow.

Some of the Indians of our country once knew of the use of copper, but
it had been forgotten when white men first came.

All about the Indians was the same world that surrounds us. In truth, it
was a richer world in some ways, for since then many of its treasures
have been lost through greed and waste.

The rich soil of the valleys was almost undisturbed. The forests were
uncut save for an occasional tree used in making a canoe or a rude
cabin. The forests suffered only at the hands of the insects, storms,
and fires. The flowers that covered the ground in spring went
ungathered. The vast grassy prairies were disturbed only by the feeding
of such animals as the buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope.

A single great forest spread over all the mountains and valleys of the
eastern part of our country. Now you can travel for many miles in the
more thickly settled portions of this region and see not a single tree
of the original forest.

To the west of the forest came the prairies and plains. Still farther
west came lofty mountains and desert valleys. On these Western mountains
were other forests with trees of wonderful size.

[Illustration: _American Forestry Association_
The elk once roamed the valleys.]

This great natural park, with its long seacoasts, rivers, lakes,
marshes, dense woods, and open plains, was a paradise for wild creatures
of every description, and the Indian was contented to leave it so.

Grizzly and black bears roamed the thickets. Elk wandered through the
mountains and valleys. Deer were abundant everywhere. The antelope raced
over the plains, mountain goats and sheep lived among the rocks, and
moose filled the Northern woods. Great herds of buffalo darkened the
surface of the plains. When the first railroad was built across the
plains, less than fifty years ago, the trains were sometimes stopped by
herds of buffalo crossing the track.

Most of the songbirds that filled the country then are still with us,
for they were of little commercial value to the hunter. No other land
has richer bird music than ours. Many of the birds that are valuable
for food are, however, nearly extinct. Now we have laws for their
protection, but these laws went into effect too late to save some
species. The passenger pigeon is one of our greatest losses.

The cutting down of the vast forests that once covered the Eastern
states, and the cultivation of fields, has helped to drive ma