244 ANNUAL EEPOETS OF DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



FEEDING AND TRANSPORTING ELK. 



For the first time since the Government lias imdertalven the work 

 of feeding elk in the Jackson Hole region, Wyoming, the winter in 

 that section was so mild that elk did not migrate to the feeding 

 grounds. Consequently feeding was unnecessary, and, as there was 

 no chance of capturing animals for transportation, no shipments 

 from this region were made. The elk came down no farther than the 

 foothills, and by March 1 practically all had returned to the moun- 

 tains. The losses resulting from "winterkilling" were, therefore, 

 below normal, but about the usual number are estimated to have been 

 killed by wolves during the winter months. Through cooperation 

 with the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service, 75 elk 

 from the Yellowstone National Park were shipped under the super- 

 vision of an agent of the bureau — 25 to Utah and 50 to Colorado. 



IMPORTATION OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS. 



War conditions in Europe have resulted in a very noticeable falling 

 off in the importation of birds and mammals. Only 454 permits 

 were issued during the year, a decrease of 75 from 1914, The inspec- 

 tions numbered 150, as against 211 in 1914, and only 270,050 birds and 

 3,463 mammals were imported under permit. Among these were 

 216,037 canaries, 7,080 partridges, 15,841 pheasants, 5,345 miscella- 

 neous game birds, and 25,747 nongame birds. Besides these, 46,095 

 birds and 104 mammals requiring no permits were admitted to entry, 

 making a total of 316,145 birds and 3,567 mammals. At Honolulu 

 only 37 permits were issued, for the entry of 191 birds, principally 

 parrots. Two cases of entry of prohibited species were reported dur- 

 ing the year: One mongoose, consigned to Prospect Park, Brooklyn, 

 N. Y., was refused entry at the port of Philadelphia in November, 

 and another, which had been inadvertently admitted from Calcutta, 

 was discovered in San Francisco and reexported in January. 



The issuing of permits for the importation of quail from Mexico 

 was resumed November 1, 1914, under regulations which require the 

 birds to be held in quarantine for a certain period at the port of 

 Brownsville, Tex., the quarantine regulations being under the super- 

 vision of inspectors of the Bureau of Animal Industry. On January 

 6, after 3,341 quail had been permitted entry, disease was discovered 

 by the inspectors arid further importations were suspended. An 

 investigation made by the Survey showed that of the total number 

 of birds imported from Mexico about one-third died from disease. 

 It is expected to resume issuing permits for the entry of quail from 

 Mexico about November 1, 1915, under certain quarantine regulations. 



INTERSTATE COMMERCE IN GAME. 



During the year there were reported to the solicitor's office 27 

 cases of violations of sections 242, 243, and 244 of the criminal code, 

 known as the "Lacey Act," relating to interstate traffic in game. 

 These involved violations of law in the States of Arkansas, Dela- 

 ware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, 

 Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. 



The cases now pending in court number 37 and those under in- 

 vestigation, 38. In one case pending in Missouri evidence was ob- 



