28 
HERE AND THERE IN AMERICA 
fox, wolverine, martin, mink, marmot, and beaver, are 
still hunted for the valuable furs that cover them. Wolves 
and bears still prowl through remote parts of North 
America ; of the latter there are several species, the most 
dreaded of all being the grizzly bear of the Rockies. The 
bison or American buffalo, that once fed in huge herds on 
the prairies, has long since disappeared. before the continual 
slaughter indulged in by early settlers. A few small herds 
survive on the reservations that have been set aside by 
the Government for the preservation of wild animals. 
The only two representatives of the cat tribe found in 
the north are the puma or cougar and the lynx, both 
carnivorous but not generally dangerous to human life. 
Of the reptiles of North America perhaps the rattlesnake 
is the most dreaded, owing to its venomous character 
and to its wide distribution throughout the United States. 
In a land of such immense forests, there is naturally 
a large variety of trees; hickory, hemlock, pine, spruce, 
birch and cedar are found throughout the woodlands of 
the north, while the maple tree grows in Canada and pro- 
vides the people with a supply of sugar, which they obtain 
from its sap. Three important American plants that have 
been introduced into general cultivation are maize, potato, 
and tobacco. 
Much of the wealth of the United States and Canada 
depends upon agriculture, and it is interesting to notice 
how the various crops are distributed over the continent 
according to the climatic conditions. In the prairie lands 
of North-west Canada and the western portion of the