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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

Chapter 7: Conservation of Biological Diversity

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why are bellwether species important?

a) they are indicators of early environmental damage
b) they are endangered species
c) they are most likely to survive environmental catastrophes
d) they are important pioneer species

Ans: b
Section Ref: Chapter Opener

2. Which of the following can cause deformities like the ones shown?

a) pesticides
b) parasite infections
c) air and water pollution
d) all of these

Ans: d
Section Ref: Chapter Opener

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3. Which if the following is the best definition of biological diversity?

a) the genetic variation in a species
b) the variety of life in all forms, at all levels and in all combinations in a defined area
c) the number of different animals that live in a specific area
d) the range of biological differences among ecosystems

Ans: b
Section Ref: Defining and Measuring Biological Diversity

4. Which type of biological diversity is best represented by the variation in corn kernels shown
here?

a) species richness
b) ecosystem diversity
c) genetic diversity
d) population diversity

Ans: c
Section Ref: The Importance of Conserving Biological Diversity

5. Which of the following best describes species richness?

a) the number of different species in a community
b) the relative number of species in a community
c) the most abundant species in a community

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

d) the total number of vertebrate species in a community

Ans: a
Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

6. What can this graph tell us about species richness?

a) species richness is related to the abundance of potential ecological niches.

b) species richness is higher in Chile than elsewhere in the world.
c) Chile must have an abundance of tropical rain forests.
d) the number of species depends on latitude.

Ans: a
Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

7. Which of the following statements applies to species richness?

a) species richness is inversely related to environmental stress
b) species richness is usually greatest at the edges of adjacent communities than in their centres
c) species richness generally follows a latitudinal gradient
d) all of these statements apply

Ans: d
Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

8. Which of the following terms best defines a group of distinct organisms capable of interbreeding
in the world but which do not interbreed outside their group?
a) species
b) population
c) community
d) family

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

Ans: a
Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

9. Why do isolated islands typically have lower species diversity?

a) islands are too small to support high species diversity.
b) species have difficulty reaching isolated islands.
c) predators eliminate populations before they can become established.
d) competition between species lowers diversity on islands.

Ans: b
Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

10. What does the number of species in a community depend on?

a) the productivity of the ecosystem.
b) the abundance of ecological niches.
c) the stability of the ecosystem.
d) all of these.

Ans: d
Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

11. What is the ability of a community to withstand environmental disturbances (community

stability) a consequence of?
a) geographic size of community
b) power of keystone species
c) species richness
d) sheer luck

Ans: c
Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

12. Forests and grasslands are important because they provide what important ecosystem
service?
a) dilute and remove pollutants
b) provide humans with wood
c) moderate waterflow
d) absorb carbon dioxide

Ans: d
Section Ref: The Importance of Conserving Biological Diversity

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

13. Which of the following is the best definition of genetic engineering?

a) incorporation of genes from one species into another species
b) crossbreeding to develop genetically uniform high-yielding varieties
c) super-strains crossed with genetically diverse relatives
d) highly evolved inbred strains

Ans: a
Section Ref: The Importance of Conserving Biological Diversity

14. How long does it take to develop the genetic diversity found in most populations of
organisms?
a) several generations
b) hundreds of millions of years
c) millions of years
d) thousands of years

Ans: b
Section Ref: The Importance of Conserving Biological Diversity

15. The chemicals produced by this flower can be used for what purpose?

a) creating pesticides
b) producing steroids used in birth control
c) treating Hansen's disease ( leprosy)
d) treating cancers

Ans: d
Section Ref: The Importance of Conserving Biological Diversity

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

16. What is low-level extinction of species that has occurred throughout the history of life on Earth
called?
a) mass extinction
b) evolution
c) background extinction
d) human impact extinction

Ans: c
Section Ref: Extinction, Species at Risk, and Invasive Species

17. Which of the following is the best definition of extinction?

a) a species that is reduced in size to most of its range.
b) the elimination of a population from its home range.
c) the elimination of the species from the earth.
d) a species that only occurs in captivity.

Ans: c
Section Ref: Extinction, Species at Risk, and Invasive Species

18. How does mass extinction differ from background extinction?

a) extinction rates are much higher during a mass extinction.
b) few mostly unimportant rare species go extinct during background extinction.
c) backgrounds extinctions have human causes while mass extinctions have natural causes.
d) mass extinctions happen about every 100 years or so, while background extinction happens
every year.

Ans: a
Section Ref: Extinction, Species at Risk, and Invasive Species

19. Why has the extinction rate increased so much in recent years?
a) naturally occurring climate change
b) an increase in the number of natural disasters
c) human activities
d) increased competition between species

Ans: c
Section Ref: Extinction, Species at Risk, and Invasive Species

20. Which of the following characteristics is known to make a species more vulnerable to
extinction?

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

a) herbivory
b) occupying a small (localized) range
c) living on a continent
d) population less than 1 million

Ans: b
Section Ref: Species at Risk

21. What is a species in imminent danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its
range called?
a) endemic
b) commercially extinct
c) endangered
d) threatened

Ans: c
Section Ref: Species at Risk

22. Where is biodiversity being lost most rapidly in Canada?

a) grasslands
b) boreal forest
c) tundra
d) temperate rain forest

Ans: a
Section Ref: Areas of Declining Biological Diversity

23. Under the Canadian Species at Risk Act, what are considered extirpated species?
a) species that are no longer present in the wild in Canada, but formerly existed there
b) species that are facing imminent extinction
c) species that show a high probability of becoming endangered
d) species of special concern

Ans: a
Section Ref: Species at Risk

24. Which of the following examples would be classified as endemic species?

a) Dendrobates azureus,a tropical frog found only in Suriname.
b) American passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) in Manitoba.
c) Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in the Great Lakes.
d) Africanized bees colonizing Arizona

Ans: a

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

Section Ref: Earth’s Biodiversity Hotspots

25. What is the biodiversity hotspot?

a) an area of high extinction rates
b) an area of high volcanic activity
c) an area of high biodiversity
d) an area with many invasive species

Ans: c
Section Ref:

26. In which biodiversity hotspot are 33 lemur species in danger of extinction?

a) Yunnan, China
b) Madagascar
c) South-west Australia
d) Sundaland

Ans: b
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

27. What are the 25 areas shown on this map?

a) tropical regions
b) rain forests
c) tectonic regions
d) biodiversity hotspots

Ans: d
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

28. What does this emblem identify?

a) green products
b) organic products that attract birds
c) organically grown bird-seed
d) shade-grown and organic coffee

Ans: d
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

29. What is the current conflict between humans and elephants is based on?
a) biotic pollution
b) over-hunting for ivory
c) water pollution
d) loss of habitat

Ans: d
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

30. What is the most important threat to biological diversity?

a) invasive species
b) hunting
c) climate change
d) habitat loss

Ans: d
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

31. Which of the following is true?

a) Humans are responsible for the current mass extinction.

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

b) Humans are responsible for many of the mass extinctions in the geologic record.
c) Natural climatic change is responsible for the current mass extinction.
d) There is no mass extinction happening at this time.

Ans: a
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

32. Which of the following would suffer most from habitat fragmentation?
a) elephants
b) poison dart frogs
c) toucans
d) pocket gophers

Ans: a
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

33. What is a serious threat to protected wilderness habitat?

a) poaching
b) habitat fragmentation
c) logging
d) pollution

Ans: d
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

34. How were zebra mussels introduced to the Great Lakes?

a) escape from aquaculture
b) escaped from pet trade
c) transported in ballast water
d) deliberately introduced by shell fanciers

Ans: c
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

35. What kinds of species are shown in the illustration?

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

a) endangered
b) threatened
c) medically important
d) invasive

Ans: d
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

36. Which Canadian agency deals with invasive species?

a) Canadian Food Inspection Agency
b) Environment Canada
c) Fisheries and Oceans, Canada
d) Department of Lands and Forests

Ans: a
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

37. What is the term that can be defined as ‘the sensible and careful management of natural
resources’?
a) preservation
b) conservation
c) economic environmentalism
d) environmental cost/benefit analysis

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

Ans: b
Section Ref: Conservation versus Preservation of Resources

38. Which of the following would be studied by a conservation biologist?

a) toxicity of pesticides
b) genetic modification of maize
c) genetic variability in lemurs
d) kidney function in llamas

Ans: c
Section Ref: Conservation versus Preservation of Resources

39. Where does in situ conservation occur?

a) in laboratories
b) in zoos
c) in parks and reserves
d) without human intervention

Ans: c
Section Ref:

40. Which of the following is an example of ex-situ conservation?

a) establishment of a nature reserve in Indonesia
b) survey of biodiversity in Belize
c) Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway
d) reintroduction of wolves in Minnesota

Ans: c
Section Ref: Conservation Biology

41. Under Canada’s SARA legislation it is illegal to do what to endangered or threatened species?
a) kill them
b) capture them
c) destroy their habitat
d) all of the above are illegal

Ans: d
Section Ref: The Species at Risk Act

42. What is one problem associated with protecting vulnerable habitat areas as a means of
conserving species richness?

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

a) That there are so few of these areas, less than 500 worldwide.
b) That multiple uses of the area sometimes conflict with the goal of preserving species.
c) That there is enough money, but not enough expertise to manage them effectively.
d) That too much of the protection is located in tropical rain forests and not enough is in remote
mountain areas.

Ans: b
Section Ref: Conservation Biology

43. How many protected areas exist worldwide?

a) 563
b) 1200
c) more than 3000
d) at least 120,000

Ans: c
Section Ref: Conservation Biology

44. What is the World Conservation Strategy ?

a) a plan to save the planet
b) a plan designed to conserve biological diversity worldwide
c) a plan to prevent trade in endangered species
d) a plan to restore the world’s remaining wild areas

Ans: b
Section Ref: International Conservation Policies and Laws

45. How does CITES protect biodiversity?

a) it sets aside land for conservation
b) it bans the hunting, trade, and selling of endangered species
c) it selects biodiversity hotspots
d) it provides conservation strategies

Ans: b
Section Ref: International Conservation Policies and Laws

46. These parrots were captured illegally and are bound for the pet trade. What agreement
protects endangered species from being traded on the international market?

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

a) CITES
b) EPA
c) IPCC
d) DIVERSITAS

Ans: a
Section Ref: International Conservation Policies and Laws

47. Which of the following best describes landscape ecology?

a) the interdisciplinary study of the relationship between spatial patterns and ecological processes
at the landscape level
b) the blending of biological science, physical science and analytical study with natural and social
science to achieve a holistic landscape perspective
c) a consideration of the ‘big picture’ or landscape level situation
d) the best description would include all of these

Ans: d
Section Ref: Landscape Ecology

48. When a landscape ecologist talks about landscape structure, to what is he or she referring?
a) the geology underlying the landscape
b) the dominant landforms in the area
c) the interaction among elements in the landscape
d) the composition, configuration and proportion of various patches across the landscape

Ans: d
Section Ref: Landscape Ecology

49. What is a seed bank?

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

a) a restored area that is planted in prairie flowers

b) a collection of large amounts of plant genetic material
c) catalog of seed types
d) a company that trades and sells unique and rare plants

Ans: b
Section Ref: Conservation Biology

50. The Oak Hammock Marsh Project is an example of …

a) the conversion of wasteland into agricultural land
b) an environmentally appropriate operation to extract peat from a marshland for horticultural
purposes
c) restoration ecology at work
d) a project to assess the impact of climate change on amphibians

Ans: c
Section Ref: Conservation Biology

51. What must biologists do before attempting a reintroduction of captive-bred animals into the
wild?
a) restore disturbed lands to create appropriate biological habitat
b) teach social skills to animals in the wild for acceptance of captive-bred animals
c) determine what factors originally caused the species to become endangered
d) identify and locate biodiversity hotspots

Ans: c
Section Ref: Conservation Biology

52 What effect did the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park ?
a) it led to a more lush and varied plant community
b) it caused a reduction in the population of ground squirrels, chipmunks and pronghorns
c) it increased overgrazing by elk
d) it caused none of the above since the reintroduction was unsuccessful

Ans: a
Section Ref: Case Study

Essay Questions

53. Why are species that go extinct in isolated environments like islands and mountains not
readily replaced?

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

Suggested Ans: Many species have difficulty reaching and successfully colonizing an island, and
locally extinct species are not readily replaced in isolated environments such as islands or
mountaintops.
Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

54. Explained the difference between the three types of biological diversity.

Suggested Ans: Species richness is the number of different species in a community. Genetic
diversity is the genetic variety within all populations of that species. Ecosystem diversity is the
variety of interactions among organisms in natural communities.
Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

55. Explain how beavers create a diversity of habitats through their activities and help to increase
the overall biodiversity of an area.

Suggested Ans: Beavers play an important role in their natural ecosystem. Through their
damming activities, beavers alter water levels and produce a variety of moist and dry meadows,
wet forests, marshes, bogs, streams, and open water that change the climate, nutrient flow,
vegetation, wildlife, hydrology, and geomorphology of an entire watershed. Dead trees left by
beavers or killed by beaver flooding become new homes for a plethora of animals and microbes.
Tree cutting also changes the tree canopy by opening up the understory to sunlight, which
changes the ecological succession of the forest. Light loving plants grow, creating new homes
and food sources for a variety of different species. The excess wood chips left behind from beaver
cutting also become new shelter and food sources for insects, small mammals, and birds.
Downed vegetation and debris picked up by water during flooding produces large amounts of
nutrients that flow into the water where growing plants and animals trap them and then begin to
cycle them. This increase in nutrients and overall biodiversity draws more fish, birds, and animal
species into beaver ponds.
Section Ref: The Importance of Conserving Biological Diversity

56. Explain what this label means and how it preserves biodiversity.

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

Suggested Ans: The SMBC allows certified shadegrown and organic coffee farmers to use this
label on their product. Many species of migratory songbirds, favorites among North American bird
lovers, are in decline, and Americans' coffee habits may play a role. In the tropics, high-yield
farms cultivating coffee in full sunlight—known as sun plantations—are rapidly replacing
traditional shade plantations. This switch is affecting wintering birds common to southern Mexico,
the Caribbean, Costa Rica, and Colombia. Shade plantations grow coffee plants in the shade of
tropical rainforest trees. These trees support a vast diversity of songbird species that winter in the
tropics (one study counted 150 species in 5 hectares [12.4 acres]), as well as large numbers of
other vertebrates and insects. In contrast, sun plantations provide poor bird habitat. Sun-grown
varieties of coffee, treated with large inputs of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, outproduce the
shade-grown varieties but lack the diverse products that come from the shade trees. About half of
the region's shade plantations have been converted to sun plantations since the 1970s. Songbird
populations have declined alarmingly during this period. Researchers counted 94 to 97 fewer bird
species on sun plantations in Colombia and Mexico than on shade-grown coffee plantations.
Various conservation organizations and development agencies, such as the Smithsonian
Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have
initiated programs to certify coffee as “shade grown,” which allows consumers the chance to
support the preservation of tropical rain forest.
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

57. Define extinction and give the possible causes of mass extinction. What single human activity
increases the susceptibility of a given species to extinction? Why?

Suggested Ans: Extinction is the irreversible elimination of a species from Earth. The causes of
past mass extinctions are not well understood, however possible causes include a major climate
change or a catastrophic collision of Earth and a large asteroid or comet. Human activity disrupts
or destroys the habitat of many organisms. If an organism's habitat is altered, this impacts the
organism's ability to find a mate, food sources, and territory necessary for survival and shelter.
Some species have an extremely small range and when this is disturbed, the species will perish.
Section Ref: Human Causes of Species Endangerment

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

58. Identify and explain the significance of the various components of biological diversity. Supply
one specific example of each type of diversity in your explanation.

Suggested Ans: Biological diversity is the variety of life in all forms, at all levels, and in all
combinations in a defined area.. The components of biological diversity include genetic diversity,
species richness, and ecosystem diversity. Genetic diversity takes into account the genetic
variety within all populations of that species. These differences provide a broad genetic base for
each species' long-term health and survival. If all members of a species were genetically identical,
then they would all be susceptible to the same pests and disease. Species richness refers to the
number of species found in an ecosystem. Species richness within an ecosystem provides the
ecosystem with resilience, the ability to recover from environmental disasters. The removal of one
species from a community makes an ecosystem run less smoothly. Ecosystem diversity is the
variety of interactions among organisms in natural communities, including forests, prairies,
deserts, coral reefs, lakes, coastal estuaries and other ecosystems. A forest community with trees,
shrubs, vines, insects, worms, animals, fungi and bacteria has greater ecosystem diversity than a
cornfield.
Section Ref: Defining and Measuring Biological Diversity

59. What is the goal of conservation biology? What are in situ and ex situ conservation practices,
and how are they used to meet the goal of conservation biology? What gets in the way of each of
these conservation practices being effective and highly successful?

Suggested Ans: The goal of conservation biology is to study how humans impact organisms and
develop strategies to cope with declining biological diversity. In in situ conservation, parks and
reserves are established to concentrate on preserving biological diversity in nature. Currently,
more than 3,000 national parks, sanctuaries, refuges, forests and other protected areas exist
worldwide. Also the land that is set aside for the preserve is often in lightly populated mountain
areas, tundra, and desert. These places often have relatively few kinds of species. In ex situ
conservation human-controlled settings are used to conserve biological diversity. This includes
the breeding of captive species in zoos and the seed storage of genetically diverse plant crops.
Problems that must be overcome with this practice include prioritizing which species to be saved.
Public support favors charismatic species such as pandas and bald eagles to the detriment of less
“attractive” endangered species. Before attempting a reintroduction, conservation biologists now
make a feasibility study to determine what factors originally caused the species to become extinct
and whether or not these factors still exist. Seed bank must overcome the drying out of seeds,
loss of electricity needed to freeze the seeds and the fact that seeds don't remain alive indefinitely
and must be germinated periodically so new seeds can be collected.
Section Ref: Conservation Biology

60. Describe three challenges facing conservation managers.

Suggested Ans: Human development threatens some protected areas—for example, the harvest
of natural resources for human use. Human knowledge of ecosystems is limited, and more
scientific data are needed to make good management decisions. Conservation management
must be adaptive (flexible to meet new problems) rather than adhere to old procedures because
“that's what has always been done.” Human-affected environments often surround protected

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

areas, threatening them with invasive species, pollution, and other problems. Protected areas are
often too small to support certain populations and ecological processes in the long term.
Protected areas are often so fragmented that, when a local population declines in number, natural
migration to rebuild the population can't occur. Humans are an important part of nature. Human
values, needs, and desires must be considered when making management decisions.
Section Ref: Conservation Biology

61. What is the Nature Conservancy of Canada and what methods does it use to conserve
nature?

Suggested Ans: The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), a private non-profit group, is the
leading national land conservation organization in Canada. Through successful partnerships with
governments, corporations, and landowners, NCC works to protect valuable ecosystems by
securing property and committing to long-term stewardship. Over the last 45 years, NCC and their
associated partners have conserved more than 2 million acres of land nationwide. Much of the
land that NCC protects is ecologically valuable and in some cases is vulnerable and disappearing.
NCC strives to secure land through purchases, donations, and conservation agreements. The
Ecogift Program, a federal program administered by Environment Canada, was created in 1995 to
provide tax incentives to landowners wanting to protect their ecologically sensitive lands. NCC
also receives land donated as capital properties and as assets that are sold, with the proceeds
being used to purchase land with higher priority conservation needs. Other efforts include
conservation agreements that are established between private landowners and NCC to
permanently limit land use to protect its conservation value.
Section Ref: Conservation Biology

62. Compare and contrast the designations of threatened, endangered, and extinct species.
Describe three human causes of species endangerment and/or extinction and explain which is
the most threatening.

Suggested Ans: A threatened species is one whose population has declined to the point that it
may be at risk of extinction. An endangered species faces threats that may cause it to become
extinct within a short period and an extinct species is one whose last individual member has died.
Humans contribute to species endangerment through habitat destruction / disruption, spread of
invasive species, pollution, and overexploitation. When humans alter or demolish habitat to build
roads, parking lots, bridges, businesses, mine for minerals, go off-roading, log for timber or clear
land for agriculture, those species that depend on those resources for survival are at a loss. As
the human population expands, the habitat for endangered species shrinks. Loss of habitat is the
most threatening to species continued existence. Invasive species that spread rapidly in a new
area where they are free of predators are crowding out native species. Humans introduce these
foreign species knowingly or unknowingly with the same result. Human-produced acid rain,
stratospheric ozone depletion, and climate warming degrade even wilderness habitats. Other
types of pollutants that affect organisms include industrial and agricultural chemicals, sewage,
and thermal pollution from heated wastewater. Some species become endangered as a result of
deliberate efforts to eradicate or control their number. Unregulated hunting, over-hunting, and
poaching endanger animals from the passenger pigeon to the snow leopard.

Test Bank 19 Chapter 7

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

Section Ref: Measuring Biological Diversity at the Species Level

63. Amphibians merit attention because of precipitous declines in their populations occurring
around the world.
a) Discuss possible causes for the current status of current amphibian populations.
b) What characteristics of amphibians (frogs) make them particularly important bellwether
species?
c) What environmental issues need to be addressed as signaled by the amphibians?

Suggested Ans: The declines of amphibian populations are not limited to areas with obvious
habitat destruction. Some remote, pristine locations show dramatic declines in amphibians.
Potential factors contributing to the amphibian decline include pollutants, increased UV radiation,
agricultural chemicals, infectious diseases, and global climate warming. Amphibian deformities
have been reported in almost all of the U.S. and four continents. Scientists have demonstrated
that pesticides, parasitic flatworms, and multiple environmental stressors such as habitat loss,
disease, and air and water pollution may cause the deformities. A bellwether species provide an
early warning of environmental damage with the potential to affect other species. Amphibians are
remarkable sensitive environmental indicators in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Additionally, frogs breathe primarily through their permeable skin. This moist, absorptive skin
makes frogs susceptible to environmental contaminants. The environmental issues that need to
be addressed include the stratospheric ozone thinning that is causing an increase in UV radiation.
Additionally, increasing global temperatures must be addressed as the climate warming has
reduced moisture levels in cloud forests. And, of course, we must address habitat loss, air and
water pollution, and pesticide residues as species endangerments.
Section Ref: Chapter Opener

64. How does the Canadian SARA attempt to maintain national biodiversity? What are its
perceived advantages and disadvantages?

Suggested Ans: The Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA) was passed in 2002 to provide legal
authority to the federal government to ensure the conservation of biological diversity at the
national level. SARA was formulated to meet the following objectives:
• To prevent Canadian indigenous species, subspecies, and distinct populations from becoming
extirpated or extinct
• To provide for recovery of endangered or threatened species
• To encourage management of other species to prevent them from becoming at risk
In order to achieve the objectives, the Act created the Committee on the Status of
Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent body of experts responsible for
assessing and identifying to the Minister of Environment designations for different species at risk.
The designations can fall into one of five categories: extinct species, extirpated species,
endangered species, threatened species, and special concern species. For any species listed as
extirpated, endangered, or threatened under SARA, it is illegal to kill, harm, harass, or capture the
species. Possessing, collecting, buying/selling, or trading any part of a listed species, or causing
damage or destruction to their habitat, is also illegal under SARA. These restrictions do not apply

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Berg, Hager, Goodman, Baydack Visualizing The Environment, Canadian Edition

to wildlife listed as species of special concern. Many environmentalists and scientists in Canada
have protested against SARA, suggesting that the Act is too weak to protect species and
associated habitat adequately. Many studies indicate that far too often politics and economics
override science and COSEWIC recommendations, resulting in species being turned down from
achieving protected status. However, the Act does represent an important step toward protecting
Canada’s biological diversity. It also acknowledges government commitment to sustainable
stewardship of nature and wildlife for future generations.
Section Ref: The Species at Risk Act

65. Why were some of the people living adjacent to Yellowstone National Park against the
reintroduction of wolves to the park in 1995? What was done to address their concerns?

Suggested Ans: Ranchers and farmers who live in the area were against the reintroduction
because their livelihood depends on livestock being safe from predators. To address this concern,
ranchers are allowed to kill Yellowstone wolves that attack their cattle and sheep, and federal
officers can remove any wolf that threatens humans or livestock. Also, ranchers are reimbursed
the full market value for cattle, sheep, and other livestock lost to wolves.
Section Ref: Case Study

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in the direction of the Rue de la Madeleine. Twenty yards off he
turned, gazed back at Rochefort, and then went on till the corner of
the street hid him from sight.
Rochefort sheathed his sword, and turned to the woman, who was
leaning, trembling and gasping, against the wall of the Hôtel de
Chevilly.
“Oh, mon Dieu,” said she, “what a night! Ah! monsieur, how can I
ever thank you for saving me!”
She was young and pretty. The hood of her cloak had fallen back,
showing her dark hair and her face, on which the tears were still
wet. She was evidently a servant returning from some message, or
perhaps some rendezvous. Rochefort laughed as he stooped to pick
up her handkerchief, which had fallen on the ground.
“There is nothing to thank me for,” said he. “Come, little one, pick
up your courage. And here is the handkerchief which you dropped.
Have they robbed you, those scamps?”
“No, monsieur,” replied the girl; “the letter which I was carrying is
safe.”
“Ah, they were after a letter! But how did they know you had a
letter in your possession? Have they been following you?”
“They followed me, monsieur, from my mistress’s home to the
house where I went to receive the letter, and from that house they
followed me, always at a distance, till I reached the street where
they attacked me. They asked me for the letter——”
“Ah, they asked you for the letter!”
“Yes, monsieur, promising to let me go free if I gave it to them.”
“And you?”
“I refused, monsieur.”
“Well, mademoiselle, your courage does you credit; and now take
my arm, and I will see you safe back to your home. Mordieu, many a
man would have given up letter and purse as well to escape from
ruffians like those. What is thy name, little one?”
“Javotte,” replied the girl, taking his arm.
“Well, Mademoiselle Javotte, your troubles are now at an end, and
your letter will arrive safely at its destination. Which way shall we
turn?”
“I am going to the Rue de Valois, monsieur.”
“Ah, well then, our quickest way is straight ahead and through the
Rue des Capucines. En avant!”
As they went on their way they talked. Javotte was not a
Parisienne by birth—she hailed from Poictiers—but she had a fresh
and lively mind of her own, and to the Comte de Rochefort it came
as a revelation that this girl of humble extraction could be both
interesting and amusing.
The extraordinary circumstances attending their meeting and the
fact that he was playing the rôle of her protector served to destroy,
in part, those social differences which would otherwise have divided
them. The whole thing was new and strange, and to a mind like
Rochefort’s, these elements were sufficiently captivating.
In the Rue de Valois, Javotte paused at a postern door and drew a
key from her pocket.
“This is the house, then,” said Rochefort. “What an ugly door to be
the end of our pleasant journey!”
Javotte with a little sigh put the key in the lock of the ugly door
and opened it gently.
“Monsieur,” said she in a low voice, “I can never thank you
enough. I am only a poor girl, and have few words; but you will
understand.”
Something in the tone of her voice made Rochefort draw close to
her, and as he took the step she retreated, so that now they were in
the passage on which the door opened.
 “You will say good-night?” he whispered.
“Yes,” she replied in a murmur, “Good-night, monsieur.”
“Ah! not in that way—this.”
She understood. Their lips met in the semi-darkness and his hand
was upon her waist when the door behind them, as if resenting the
business, closed with a snap. Almost on the sound, a door in front of
them opened, a flood of light filled the passage, and Rochefort,
drawing away from the girl, found himself face to face with a man,
stout, well but carelessly dressed, and holding a lamp in his hand.
It was the Vicomte Jean Dubarry!
Rochefort was so astounded by the recognition that for a moment
he said no word. The Vicomte, who did not recognize Rochefort at
once, was so astonished at the sight of a man in the passage with
Javotte that he was equally dumb. The unfortunate Javotte,
betrayed by the bad luck that had dogged her all the evening,
covered her face with her hands.
After the first second of surprise, Rochefort remembered that the
Dubarry town house was situated in the Rue de Valois, and the fact
that he must be standing in the Comtesse’s house, and that he had
saved her maid and her letter, brought a laugh to his lips with his
words.
“Mordieu!” cried he. “Here’s a coincidence.”
“Ah!” cried Dubarry, now recognizing his man. “Why, it is Monsieur
le Comte de Rochefort!”
“At your service,” said Rochefort, with another laugh.
Dubarry bowed ironically. He knew Rochefort’s reputation, and he
fancied that the presence of this Don Juan was due to some intrigue
with Javotte. He had Rochefort at a disadvantage, but he did not
wish to press it. Rochefort was not the man to press. As for Javotte,
Jean Dubarry would not have cared had she a dozen intrigues on
hand. He wanted the letter for which she had been sent.
 “Monsieur,” said he, “the hour is rather late. To what do I owe the
honour of this visit?”
“Why,” said Rochefort, “I believe you owe it to the letter which
Mademoiselle Javotte has in her pocket and of which two men tried
to rob her in the Rue de Chevilly half an hour ago.”
“Monsieur le Vicomte,” said Javotte, recovering herself, “I was
followed to the address you gave me by two men. Then, when I was
returning with this letter, they attacked me and would have taken it
from me but for this brave gentleman, who beat them off. He
escorted me home. I was saying good-night to him here when the
door shut to and you entered.” She took the letter from her pocket
and handed it to him.
Jean Dubarry’s manner instantly changed as he took the letter. He
knew that Rochefort belonged to no party, and to attach this
powerful firebrand to the Dubarry faction would be a stroke of very
good policy. Also, he wished to know more about the affair.
“Monsieur Rochefort,” said he, smiling, “you have done us a
service. We are deeply beset by enemies, and if you wanted proof of
that, the fact that our servant has been attacked to-night, on
account of this letter, would supply you with it. In the name of the
Comtesse, I thank you. And now, will you not come in? This cold
passage is but the entrance to a house that is still warm enough,
thank God, for the entertainment of our friends. And though the
hour is late, it is of importance that I should have a word with you
on the matter.”
“Thank you,” said Rochefort, “I shall be glad also to have a
moment’s talk with you.”
He felt slightly disturbed in mind. If everything was as it appeared
to be, then the man he had killed was not a common robber, but a
creature of Choiseul’s; and, however vile this creature might have
been, Choiseul would visit the man who had killed him with his
vengeance, should he discover the fact.
 Truly, this was a nice imbroglio, and he was even deepening it
now by accepting an invitation to enter the house of Choiseul’s most
bitter enemy. But Rochefort was a man who, when in a difficulty,
always went forward, depending on the strength of his own arm to
cut his way through. If he was bound to be involved in politics, and
Court intrigue, fate had ordained that he would have to fight against
Choiseul, and if that event came about, it would be better to have
the Dubarrys at his back than no one.
En avant! was his motto, and, following the broad back of the
Vicomte, and being followed, in turn, by little Javotte, he left the
passage and entered the house of the Dubarrys.
 CHAPTER III

A COUNCIL OF WAR

T HE Vicomte led the way along a corridor with painted walls and a
ceiling wherefrom impossibly fat cupids pelted one in gesture
with painted roses.
He opened a door, and with a courtly bow, ushered Rochefort into
a small room exquisitely furnished, and lit by a swinging crystal lamp
of seven points burning perfumed oil. This house of the Dubarrys
had once belonged to Jean de Ségur, a forbear of General Philippe
de Ségur, that ardent Royalist who, at the sight of Murat’s dragoons
galloping through the gate of the Pont Tournant, forgot his grief at
the destruction of the old régime, and became a soldier of
Napoleon’s.
It was furnished regardless of expense. Boucher had supervised
the paintings that adorned the ceilings, the Maison Grandier had
produced the chairs and couches, Versailles had contributed
porcelain idols, bonbonnières, and a hundred other knicknacks.
Ispahan and Bussorah had contributed the carpets, at a price,
through the great Oriental house of Habib, Gobelins the tapestry,
Sèvres the china, and the glass manufactory of the Marquis de
Louviers the glass. It was for this house, perhaps, rather than for
Luciennes, that the Comtesse had refused Fragonard’s exquisite
panels, “The Romance of Love and Youth,” a crime against taste
which, strangely enough, found no place in the procès-verbal.
Dubarry, excusing himself for a moment, closed the door, and
Rochefort glanced round the room wherein he found himself.
Everything was in white or rose; the floor was of parquet, covered
here and there with white fur rugs; on the rose-coloured silk of one
of the settees lay a fan, as if cast there but a moment ago; and a
volume of the poems of Marot, bound in white vellum and stamped
with the Dubarry arms and their motto, “Boutez en avant” lay upon
a chair, as if just put down in haste.
A white-enamelled door, half-hidden by rose-coloured silk curtains,
faced the door by which he had entered, and from the room beyond,
Rochefort, as he paced the floor and examined the objects of art
around him, could hear a faint murmur of voices. Five minutes
passed, and Rochefort, having glanced at the fan, peeped into the
volume of poems, set the huge Chinese mandarin that adorned one
of the alcoves wagging his head, and wound up and broken a costly
musical-box, turned suddenly upon his heel.
The door leading into the next room had opened, and a woman
stood before him, young, plump, fair-haired and very pretty,
exquisitely dressed.
It was the Comtesse Dubarry.
Behind her, Jean Dubarry’s gross figure showed, and behind Jean
the dark hair of a girl, who was holding a fan to her face as though
to conceal her mirth or her features—or both.
“Monsieur le Comte de Rochefort, Madame la Comtesse Dubarry,”
came Jean’s voice across the Countess’s shoulder, and then the
golden voice of the woman, as she made a little curtsey:
“Monsieur le Comte de Rochefort. Why, I know him!”
Rochefort bowed low. He had met Madame Dubarry at Versailles—
that is to say, he had made his bow to her with the thousands of
others who thronged the great halls, but he had never hung about
the ante-chambers of her special apartment with the other courtiers.
He fancied her recognition held more politeness than truth, but in
this he was mistaken. Madame Dubarry knew everybody and
everything about them. She had a marvellously retentive and clear
memory, and an equally quick mind. An ordinary woman in her
position would have been lost in a week.
 “And though I have had no proof of his friendship before, I know
him now to be my friend. Monsieur Rochefort, I thank you.”
She held out her hand, which he touched with his lips.
Raising his head from the act, he saw the girl with the fan looking
at him; she had lowered the fan from her face. It was Mademoiselle
Fontrailles!
“Madame,” said he, replying to the Comtesse, “it was nothing. If I
have served you, it has been through an accident, yet I esteem it a
very fortunate accident that has enabled me to use my sword in
your service.”
Though he ignored Mademoiselle Fontrailles, his heart had leaped
in him at the recognition. It seemed to him that Fate had willed that
he should find his interests entangled in those of the beautiful
woman who had smitten him in more ways than one. But, as yet, he
did not know whether it was to be an entanglement of war or peace,
an alliance or a feud.
“Camille,” said the Comtesse, “this is Monsieur de Rochefort.” She
smiled as she said the words, and Rochefort, as he bowed, knew
instantly that the Flower of Martinique had told of the incident at the
ball, nor did he care, for the warm glance in her dark eyes and the
smile on her lips said, as plainly as words: “Let us forget and
forgive.” From that moment he was Dubarry’s man.
“I had the pleasure of seeing Mademoiselle Fontrailles at Monsieur
de Choiseul’s to-night,” said he, “in the company of my friend,
Madame de Courcelles.” Then, turning sharply to the Comtesse:
“Madame, there are so many coincidences at work to-night, that it
seems to me Fate herself must have some hand in the matter. Now,
mark! I go to Monsieur de Choiseul’s, and I meet Mademoiselle
Fontrailles, who is your friend; as if the alchemy of that friendship
had touched me, on my walk home through the streets, I had the
honour to be of service to you by protecting your messenger; I offer
her my protection and escort and I find myself at your house; I meet
the Vicomte Dubarry, and he invites me in to talk over the matter,
and here, again, I meet Mademoiselle Fontrailles.”
He bowed to the girl, who bowed in return with a charming little
laugh, whilst Jean Dubarry closed the door, and pushed forward
chairs for the ladies to be seated.
“But that is not all,” continued Rochefort, addressing his remarks
again to the Comtesse; “for if it has been my good luck to have
served you in the matter of the letter, it will perhaps be my good
fortune to assist you on a matter more serious still. You know, or
perhaps you do not know, that I am a man of no party and no
politics, yet it would be idle for me to shut my eyes to the finger that
points my way, and my ears to the voice that whispers to me that
my direction is the direction of the Rue de Valois.”
He bowed slightly, and his bow included Mademoiselle Fontrailles.
The Comtesse had been looking at him attentively all this while, and
her quick mind divined something of importance behind his words.
“Monsieur Rochefort,” said she, indicating a chair, whilst she
herself took her seat on a settee by the side of Mademoiselle
Fontrailles, “you have something to tell me. I have the gift of second
sight, and I guess that this something is of importance; in my
experience, I find that the important things are always the
unpleasant things of life, so put me out of my anxiety, I pray you.”
“I will, madame; you have divined rightly. My news is unpleasant,
simply because it relates to a conspiracy against you.”
“Ah! ah!” said Jean Dubarry, who had not taken a seat, but was
standing by the mantelpiece, snuff-box in hand. “A conspiracy.”
“Yes, Monsieur le Vicomte, a conspiracy.”
“Against my life?” asked the Comtesse, with a laugh. “It would be
a bright idea for some of them to attack that instead of my poor
reputation. Unfortunately, however, these gentlemen are incapable
of a bright idea.”
 “No, madame, they do not propose to take your life; they propose
to steal your coachman, your hairdresser and the robe that you are
to wear to-morrow evening.”
Jean Dubarry almost dropped his snuff-box; he swore a frightful
oath; and the Countess, fully alive to the gravity of the news, stared
open-eyed at Rochefort. Mademoiselle Fontrailles alone found words,
other than blasphemies, to express her feelings.
“Ah, the wretches!” said she. “I thought they would leave no stone
unturned by their vile hands.”
“Monsieur,” said the Comtesse, finding voice, “are you certain of
what you say?”
“Why, madame, they invited me to take a part in the business.”
“And you refused?”
“I refused, madame, not because I was of your party—in fact, to
be perfectly plain, at that moment I was rather against you—I
refused because I considered the whole proceeding a trick
dishonouring to a gentleman; and I told Monsieur Camus my opinion
of the business in a very few words.”
“Comte Camus? Was he the agent who brought you this
proposition?”
“He was, madame. I can say so now openly, since we are no
longer friends. We quarrelled on a certain matter to-night, and if you
are desirous of knowing the details of our little quarrel, Javotte will
be able to supply them.”
But the Comtesse had no ears for anything but the immediate
danger that threatened her, and Rochefort had to tell the whole
story from the beginning to the end.
“Death of all the devils!” cried Jean Dubarry, when the story was
finished. “What an escape!”
“The question is,” said Madame Dubarry, “have we escaped and
shall we be able to prevent these infamous ones from carrying out
their plan?”
“Prevent them!” cried Jean. “I will pistol the first man that lays
hands on the carriage. I will lock the hairdresser up in the cellar till
the moment comes when he is wanted. As for the modiste, we will
arrange that she will be all right. Prevent them! Mordieu! Yes, we
will prevent them.”
“Excuse me,” said Rochefort, “but if I may be allowed to give my
advice, I would say to you, do not prevent them; let them carry out
their plan.”
“And let them take my carriage?”
“And the dress!” cried Mademoiselle Fontrailles.
“And the hairdresser!” put in Jean.
“Precisely,” said Rochefort. “With that power which is at your
disposal, madame, can you not have a new dress created, a new
carriage obtained, and a new hairdresser found in the course of the
few hours before us? My reason is this. Should they fancy that their
plan is successful they will try nothing else. Should we thwart them
openly, I would not say at what they would stop.”
“Certainly,” cried Jean, “there’s truth in that. Can we not find a
carriage, a dress and a coiffeur! Let us think—let us think!” He
walked up and down the room, twisting his ruffles.
“No one can dress my hair like Lubin,” said the Countess.
“Excuse me,” said Rochefort, “but I believe there is a man whom I
know who is a genius in the art. He is unknown; but the day after
to-morrow, should you employ him, I believe he will be known to all
Europe.”
“As to the dress,” said Mademoiselle Fontrailles, “you know, dear
madame, that I was to be presented also. And our figures, are they
not nearly the same?”
“Dame!” cried Jean, hitting himself a smack on the forehead. “I
have the carriage! It is at Vaudrin’s, in the Rue de la Madeleine. I
saw it yesterday. It has been made to the order of the Comtesse
Walewski, who, it seems, has not arrived yet; and all it requires is
that the Dubarry arms should be painted over those of the
Comtesse. We only want a loan of it, and five thousand francs will
pay the bill.”
The Comtesse turned to Rochefort.
“Monsieur Rochefort, I can trust your taste as I trust your
friendship. All I ask you as a woman is this: Are you sure of your
hairdresser?”
“Absolutely, madame; he is an artist to the tips of his fingers. I will
stake my reputation on him.”
The Comtesse inclined her head. She turned to Mademoiselle
Fontrailles.
“Camille, have you thought that this act of generosity will ruin
your presentation, for if I am to wear your dress, which is divinely
beautiful and has cost you a hundred thousand francs, how, then,
are you to appear before his Majesty?”
“Madame,” said the girl, “I will have a cold; my presentation will
be put off, that is all. And I esteem it a very small sacrifice to make
for one who has benefited my family so deeply. Besides, madame,
even if my presentation never occurred, it would not give me a
sleepless night. The world has very few attractions for me.”
Her dark eyes met those of Rochefort for a moment. There are
seconds of time that carry in them the essence of years, and it
seemed to Rochefort, in these few seconds, that some magic in the
dark gaze of the eyes that held him had seized upon his mind,
indelibly altering it.
The Comtesse’s only reply was to lay her hand in a caressing way
upon the beautiful arm of her friend. She turned to Jean:
“Jean, are you sure of the carriage?”
“Mordieu, yes. Vaudrin is ours entirely.”
 “Will it be possible to have the arms altered in this short time?”
“He will do it. I will call upon him to-morrow morning at six
o’clock.”
“Well,” said the Comtesse, “I accept. I accept everything—your
advice, Monsieur de Rochefort, and your sacrifice, Camille. But it is a
debt I can never repay.”
This sweet sentence was suddenly broken upon by a shriek of
laughter from Jean. Dubarry rarely laughed, but when he did so it
took him like convulsions—a very bad sign in a man. He flung
himself on a couch and slapped his thigh.
“Their faces,” cried he, “when you appear, when the usher cries,
‘Madame la Comtesse de Béarn, Madame la Comtesse Dubarry.’
Choiseul’s face!”
“And Polastron’s!” cried the Comtesse, catching up the laugh. “And
de Guemenée’s!”
Mademoiselle Fontrailles clasped her hands and laughed too. One
might have fancied that they were quite assured of their victory over
the profound and duplex Choiseul. They were laughing like this
when a man-servant appeared. He had knocked at the door, but as
he had received no answer and his business was urgent, he entered.
“Madame,” said the servant, “Monsieur de Sartines has arrived,
and would speak a word with you on a matter of importance.”
“Monsieur de Sartines,” said the Comtesse, rising, “at this hour!
Show him in.”
Everyone rose, and as they stood waiting, the little clock on the
mantel chimed the hour. It was two o’clock in the morning. A minute
passed, and then the servant returned, opening wide the door.
“Monsieur de Sartines.”
Sartines bowed to the Comtesse, and then, individually, to each
present. He showed scarcely any surprise at the presence of
Rochefort.
 Sartines was the burning centre of this conspiracy to present the
Comtesse Dubarry at Court in the teeth of all the opposition of the
nobles, and he wished his part in it to be as secret as possible; yet
he did not question Rochefort’s presence. He knew quite well that,
Rochefort being there, he must have joined hands with the
Comtesse. He was a man who never wasted time.
“Madame,” said he, “I have grave news to tell you.”
“Aha!” said the Comtesse, “more bad news. But stay, perhaps we
know it. Is it the plot to rob me of my carriage and my hairdresser?”
“No, madame, I know nothing of any plot to rob you of your
carriage. It is about the Comtesse de Béarn I have come to speak.
Did she not receive a present to-day?”
“Yes, a basket of flowers from an old lady who belongs to her
province. A Madame Turgis.”
“Yes,” said de Sartines, “and a Secret Service agent has just
brought me news that amidst the flowers in that basket was a note.”
“A note!”
“A letter, I should say, giving the Comtesse de Béarn a full and
true account of the little plan by which she was induced to come to
Paris.”
“Oh, mon Dieu!” cried Madame Dubarry. “If the old fool only gets
to know that, we are ruined! I know her as well as if I had
constructed her. Once her pride and self-esteem are touched, she is
hopeless to deal with.”
“At what hour did this basket of flowers arrive?” asked de Sartines.
“At four o’clock.”
“It has been in her private apartments ever since?”
“Yes.”
De Sartines looked at the clock on the mantel.
 “Ten hours and seven minutes. Well, madame, if in that time the
Comtesse de Béarn has not discovered the note, you are saved. Go
at once, madame, to her apartments, and if you can capture the
accursed basket and its contents, for Heaven’s sake do so. We must
give her no chance to find it in the morning.”
Madame Dubarry left the room without a word. She passed
through the next room and down a corridor, where, taking a small
lamp from a table, she turned with it in her hand to a narrow
staircase leading to the next floor. Here she paused at a doorway,
listened, and then, gently opening the door, entered the Comtesse
de Béarn’s sitting-room.
On a table near the window stood the fateful basket of flowers.
The folding-doors leading to the bedroom were slightly open, and
the intruder was approaching to seize the basket, when a sound
from the bedroom made her pause, a low, deep groan, as if from
someone in mortal pain.
“Help!” cried a muffled voice. “Who is that with the light? Ah! how
I suffer!”
Without a word the Comtesse passed to the folding-doors, opened
them, and next moment was in the bedroom. On the bed, half-
covered with the clothes, lay the Comtesse de Béarn, on the floor
near the stove lay a chocolate-pot upset, and the contents staining
the parquet.
“Mon Dieu!” cried Madame Dubarry. “What has happened?”
“Ah, madame!” cried the old woman, “I am nearly dead. Here
have I lain for hours in my misery. The pot of chocolate which I was
heating on the stove upset—and look at my leg!”
She protruded a leg, and Madame Dubarry drew back with a cry.
Foot and ankle and the leg half-way up to the shin bone were
scalded in a manner that would be unpleasant to describe; but it
was not the scalded leg that evoked Madame Dubarry’s cry of
anguish. It was the knowledge that her presentation was now
hopeless. For the Comtesse de Béarn to undertake the journey to
Versailles with a leg like that was clearly impossible.
The Choiseuls had taken all precautions, their bow had many
strings. This was the fatal one. The old woman on the bed, though
suffering severely, could not suppress the gleam of triumph that
showed in her eyes, now fixed on those of the Comtesse.
“Ah, madame!” said Dubarry, “this was ill done. Had you known
what personal issues to yourself were involved, you would have
been more careful!” Then, lest she should lose all restraint over
herself, and fling the lamp in her hand at the head of the scalded
one, she rushed from the room, seized the basket of flowers, and
with basket in one hand and lamp in the other reached the ground
floor, taking this time the grand staircase. She broke into the room,
where de Sartines and the others were seated, flung the basket on a
chair, so that it upset and the contents tumbled pell-mell over the
floor, and broke into tears.
Everyone knew.
“Has she found out?” cried Jean.
“Madame,” said de Sartines, waving the Vicomte aside, “calm
yourself; all may not yet be lost.”
“Ah, monsieur, you do not know,” sobbed the unfortunate woman.
“Not only has she found out, but she has scalded her leg, so that the
affair is now absolutely hopeless.” She told her tale, and as she told
it her sobs ceased, her eyes grew bright, and she finished standing
before them with clenched hands and sparkling eyes, more beautiful
than ever.
Mademoiselle Fontrailles had been collecting the flowers; there
was no sign of a letter among them. Jean Dubarry, white and
beyond speech and unable to vent his spleen on anything else, had
cuffed the China mandarin on to the floor, where it lay shattered.
Rochefort, carried away by the tragedy, was cursing. De Sartines
only was calm.
 “It is impossible, then, for her to appear at Versailles?” said he.
“Utterly, monsieur.”
“Well, madame,” said de Sartines, “courage; all is not yet lost.”
“Ah, Monsieur de Sartines,” said the Comtesse, “what do you
mean? Do you not know as well as I do that, failing the Comtesse de
Béarn, the thing is impossible? Even were I to find someone
qualified to take the place of this old woman, there would still be all
the formalities of the application. Monsieur de la Vrillière would have
to inquire into the antecedents of the lady, and Monsieur de Coigny
would have to receive the request, only to lose it for Monsieur to
find and cancel on account of the delay.”
“Madame,” cut in de Sartines, “the plan which has just occurred to
me has nothing to do with the finding of a substitute. Madame la
Comtesse de Béarn shall present you; or, let us put it in this way: to-
morrow evening at ten o’clock you will be presented to his Majesty
at the Court of Versailles. I am only mortal, and therefore fallible;
but if you will leave the matter in my hands the thing shall be done,
always saving the direct interposition of God.”
“You are, then, a magician?” cried the Comtesse.
“No, madame; or only a white magician who works through
human agency.”
“Ah, Monsieur de Sartines,” cried the Comtesse, hope appearing
again in her eyes, “if you can only help me in this, I shall pray for
you till my dying day!”
“Oh, madame,” replied de Sartines, with a laugh, “I would never
dream of imposing such a task upon the most beautiful lips in the
world. I only ask you now to work with me, for this immediate end.”
“And what can I do?”
“Carry on all your preparations for to-morrow night. Monsieur
Rochefort has explained to me the plot for the stealing of the
carriage, the dress and the coiffeur. Let the Vicomte attend to the
carriage, let Mademoiselle Fontrailles supply you with her dress, and
let your most trusted servant fetch the coiffeur that Monsieur
Rochefort knows of.”
“I will fetch him myself,” said Rochefort.
“No, Rochefort,” said de Sartines, “I have need of you for
something else. May I put my reliance on your obedience in this
crisis?”
“Implicitly, Sartines,” replied the Comte. “Call upon me for what
you will. Mordieu! I have fought many a duel, but never has a fight
stirred my blood like this. I will act any part or dress for any part
except the part of spectator.”
“I will find enough for you to do, and now I must be going. It is
after three o’clock, and if you will take a seat in my carriage, I will
give you a lift on your way home, and explain what I want.”
“And I will see you again, monsieur?” said the Comtesse,
addressing the Minister of Police.
“Not till after the presentation, Madame, when I hope to have the
honour of kissing your hand. You understand, I have nothing to do
with this affair. You must even abuse me to your friends, who are
absolutely sure to be in communication with your enemies. And now,
if I were you, I would send for your physician to attend to Madame
de Béarn’s leg.”
He bade his adieux.
Rochefort, having scribbled the name of the coiffeur on a piece of
paper supplied by Jean, gazed into the eyes of Mademoiselle
Fontrailles, as he lifted his lips from her hand. He fancied that her
glance told him all that he wished, and more than he had hoped.
In the hall Sartines enveloped himself in a black cloak, put on a
broad-brimmed hat, and, followed by Rochefort, entered the
carriage that was waiting in the courtyard. It was a carriage,
perfectly plain, without adornment, such as the Minister used when
wishing to mask his movements.
 “You did not come in your own carriage, then?” said Rochefort, as
they drove away.
“Oh, dear, no,” said Sartines. “My carriage is still waiting at
Choiseul’s. I slipped away, having already sent an agent for this plain
carriage to meet me at the third lamp-post on the right, as you go
up the Rue St. Honoré from the Rue du Faubourg.”
“You had an agent in attendance, then?”
“My dear Rochefort, three of Choiseul’s servants are my agents,
and it was from one of them that I learned of this precious plot
about the basket of flowers. You live in the Rue de Longueville!”
“Ah, you know my new address!” said Rochefort, laughing.
“I know everything about you, my dear Rochefort. Now, will you
put your head out of the window, and tell the coachman to drive to
the Rue de Longueville? I cannot go back to the Hôtel de Sartines at
once. I must crave the shelter of your apartments; we are being
followed.”
“Followed?”
“Mordieu, yes! The Dubarrys’ house has been watched all day.
When I drove up in this carriage, I saw one of Choiseul’s agents,
who, without doubt, tried to question my coachman whilst I was in
the house; a perfectly useless proceeding, as my coachman is
Sergeant Bonvallot. I know quite well, now, that there is a man
running after us, so do as I say.”
Rochefort put his head out and gave the direction.
“My faith!” said he, as he resumed his place, “but they are keen,
the Choiseuls.”
“They are more than that. You cannot guess at all the way this
matter has stirred the whole court. Of course, when the thing is over
and done with, and the presentation an accomplished matter, the
Comtesse will not be able to number her friends. But she is lost if
Choiseul succeeds, and if she succeeds Choiseul is lost. Once give
her an accredited place at court, and the breaking of Choiseul will be
only the matter of a few months.”
“Sartines,” said the young man with that daring which gave him
permission to say things other men would not have dreamed of
saying, “you are not doing this for love of the Dubarry?”
“I?” said de Sartines. “I am doing it to break Choiseul.”
The carriage which had entered the Rue de Longueville stopped at
a house on the left, and the two men got out.
 CHAPTER IV

THE METHODS OF MONSIEUR DE SARTINES

D E SARTINES said a word to his coachman and, without even

glancing down the street to see if he were followed or not,
entered the house, the door of which Rochefort had opened with a
key. They passed upstairs to the apartments of the Count. In the
sitting-room de Sartines cast off his cloak, flung it on a chair with his
hat, and took his seat.
“Now let us talk for a moment,” said he. “And first, a word about
yourself. It is unfortunate that you killed that man, considering that
he was one of Choiseul’s agents.”
“I killed him in self-defence,” said Rochefort; “or at least, I can say
that he attempted my life before I took his.”
“Oh, the killing is nothing,” said de Sartines. “The vermin is well
out of the way. What really matters is, that you balked Choiseul in
his attempt to spy upon Dubarry’s secrets. Of course, he may never
know the truth of the matter; but, if he does—well, you will need a
lot of protection, and we will endeavour to find it for you. Now to the
Comtesse’s business. It is quite clear that the old Béarn woman is
literally out of court. Every other woman in Paris or Versailles is
equally impossible, or, at least, seemingly so. I, as Minister of Police,
have great power; but I am powerless to help, for to help I would
have to declare my hand openly, which, as you well may guess, is
impossible to one in my position. Besides, my power has limits. I
cannot say to one of these Court women: ‘You shall present Madame
Dubarry to-night.’ No; yet all the same, I am powerful enough to
ensure that presentation, I believe.”
Rochefort listened with interest. It was rarely that de Sartines
unbosomed himself, and when he did it was generally only to show a
cuirass of steel painted to imitate flesh; but to-night was different.
He knew Rochefort to be absolutely reliable to those who trusted
him.
“You talk in enigmas, my dear Sartines,” said the young man. “You
say you are powerless, and then you say you are powerful enough
to assure the presentation. Please explain yourself.”
“No man can explain himself, with the exception, perhaps, of
Monsieur Rousseau, whose ‘Confessions’ you have perhaps read. But
a man may explain his methods. Well, my methods are these. Being
by nature a rather stupid and lazy man, I seek out the cleverest and
most active men I can find to act for me. People fancy that my life is
spent in searching for criminals, political offenders, and so forth; on
the contrary, it is spent in looking for clever men. I have one gift,
without which no man can hold a position like mine. I know men.
“More than that, I hunt for men and buy them just as M. Boehmer
hunts for and buys diamonds. The consequence is that I have more
genius at my command in the Hôtel de Sartines than his Majesty has
at Versailles or Choiseul at the Ministry. I have Escritain, the greatest
linguist in France, who knows not only all European languages, but
all dialects. I have Fremin, the first cryptographer. I have Jumeau,
the first accountant, who could reduce the value of the universe to
francs and sous and, more important, discover an error in his work
of one centime. I have Beauregard, the bravest man in France;
Verpellieux, the best swordsman; Valjean, whose tongue would talk
him into the nether regions and whose hand, if it caught hold of
some new Eurydice, would bring her out, even though it fetched
everything else with her. I have Formineux, a blind man whose
sense of smell is phenomenal; and I have Lavenne, the greatest
Secret Service agent in the world. Bring me a book you can’t
translate, the name of a man you can’t find, a crime you can’t
fathom, a suspicion you want verified, you will find the answer at the
Hôtel de Sartines. One of these brave men, who are mine, will read
the riddle.
 “But outside the Hôtel de Sartines I have other men at my service.
Yes, you will find a lot of people attached to us. You yourself, my
dear Rochefort, have just become one of us. The Hôtel de Sartines
has touched you.”
Rochefort laughed. “If it does not touch me any more unpleasantly
than now, I shall not mind,” said he. “But you have not yet
explained.”
“What?”
“Your plans as to the Dubarry.”
“Oh, that. I was coming to that; let me come to it in my own way.
I have shown you the power at my disposal. I have all sorts of brains
ready to work for me, all sorts of hands ready to do my bidding; but
all those brains and hands would be useless to me had I not an
intimate knowledge of their capacities, and had I not the power of
selection. More than that, my dear Rochefort; I have, I believe, the
dramatist’s gift of valuing and using shades of character. Dealing, as
I do, with the most complex and highly civilized society in the world,
I would be lost without this gift, which might have made me a good
dramatist if Fate had not condemned me to be a policeman. In fact,
my work at Versailles and in Paris has mainly to do with the reading
backwards through plots, far more complicated than the plots of
Molière, to find the authors’ names.
“Now I come to the Dubarry business. This woman must be
presented to-morrow night. Choiseul has as good as stolen her
carriage and her dressmaker—that will be put right. Choiseul has
succeeded in making Madame de Béarn half boil herself to death.
But Choiseul, who fancies that he has the whole business in the
palm of his hand, has reckoned without the Hôtel de Sartines and
the geniuses whom I have collected for years past, just as Monsieur
d’Anjou collects seals or Monsieur de Duras Roman coins.
“I am about to employ one of these geniuses to work a miracle for
Madame Dubarry. His name is Ferminard. He lives at the Maison
Gambrinus—which is a tavern in the Porcheron quarter—and, as you
have promised to serve us, you will go there to-morrow at noon, or
a little before, with my agent Lavenne, and conduct this Ferminard
to the Rue de Valois. Lavenne will not go to the Rue de Valois, for I
will have other work for him to do, and besides, it is just as well for
him not to go near the Dubarrys’ house, for, clever as he is in the art
of disguise, Choiseul will have men watching all day who have the
scent of hounds. We must run no risks.”
“Let us understand,” said Rochefort. “I am to meet your agent,
Lavenne—where?”
“He will call for you here.”
“Good! Then I am to go with him to the Maison Gambrinus, find
Ferminard, and conduct him to Madame Dubarry’s house in the Rue
de Valois—all that seems very simple.”
“Perhaps. But you must be on your guard, for this Ferminard is a
bon viveur. Taverns simply suck him in, and were he to get lost in
one, you would find him next drunk and useless.”
“A drunkard?”
“No, a man who drinks. Never look down on these people,
Rochefort. Drink may be simply the rags a beggar walks in, or the
robes and regalia that a royal mind adorns itself with to enter the
kingdom of dreams.”
“And what am I to tell this Ferminard to do?”
“You are to tell him nothing, simply because you are a stranger to
him, and he would look on orders from a stranger as an
impertinence. Lavenne, however, knows him to the bone, and is a
friend of his. Lavenne will give him private instructions, and then
hand him over to you.”
“Very well. I will obey your orders, though they completely mystify
me.”
“I assure you,” said de Sartines, “that I have no intention of
mystifying you; but I cannot explain my idea to you simply because I
have to explain it to Lavenne. It is after four in the morning, and I
must get back to the Hôtel de Sartines. There is a man still watching
at the corner of the street; he must not follow me. Now, do as I tell
you. Take my black cloak and broad-brimmed hat, and put them on.
We are both about the same size. Go out, walk down the street, go
down the Rue de la Tour, and then through the Rue Picpus, returning
here by the Rue de la Vallière. The fool will follow you all the time.”
“And you?”
“And I,” said de Sartines, putting on Rochefort’s cloak and hat,
“will slip away to the Hôtel de Sartines, whilst you are leading that
sot his dance.”
“But he will follow me back here.”
“Of course he will, and he will see you go in and shut the door.
Lavenne will bring you back your cloak and hat in a parcel. The point
is, that they will never know that the man in the black cloak and hat,
who left the Hôtel Dubarry with Monsieur Rochefort, returned to the
Hôtel de Sartines.”
“But your carriage?”
“I told the coachman to take the carriage back to the place it
came from. They will not follow an empty carriage; were they to do
so, they would get nothing for their pains, as it came from a livery
stable managed by the wife of Jumeau, that accountant of whom I
spoke just now.”
Rochefort looked in astonishment at this man, whose methods
were as intricate and minute as the reasoning power that directed
them; whose life was a maze to which he alone possessed the clue,
and whose path was never in a straight line.
He followed implicitly the instructions he had received, conscious
all the time that he was being tracked, and once glimpsing a stealthy
form that slipped from house-shadow to house-shadow. When he
returned, de Sartines had vanished, and, casting himself on his bed
dressed as he was, wearied with the night’s work, he fell asleep.