DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. . 45 



Mississippi Vallej^ and of various other members of the family in 

 other sections of the country are given full consideration in this bul- 

 letin, which, however, also shows to what extent the havoc among 

 cereal crops is offset by the number of noxious insects and weeds 

 consumed by these birds as food. 



Two of the four numbers of "North American Fauna" consist of 

 technical papers. No. 17 being a "Revision of American voles of the 

 genus 3Iicrotus," b}^ Vernon Bailey, and No. 18, a "Revision of the 

 pocket mice of the geniifi Perognath us,'' hy W. H. Osgood. No. 10, 

 "Results of a biological survey of Mount Shasta, California," by Dr. 

 C. Hart Merriam, was mentioned in the report for last year. No. 1!», 

 a "Report of a biological reconnoissance of the Yukon River region," 

 by W. H. Osgood and Dr. Louis B. Bishop, gives the results of the 

 field work of last summer on the Yukon River, and contains full notes 

 on the mammals and birds observed during a trip doAvn the entire 

 length of the river. Dr. Bishop, Avho accompanied Mr. Osgood as 

 voluntary assistant, prepared the ornithological part of the report. 



The contribution to the series of historical articles which appeared 

 in the Yearbook of the Department for 1S90, was entitled "A review 

 of economic ornithology in the United States," by T. S. Palmer, and 

 contained a summary of the advance made in the science of economic 

 ornithology and of the application of the knowledge of birds to the 

 affairs of everyday life. 



The demand for Farmers' Bulletin No. o-t, on ' ' Common birds in 

 their relation to agriculture," first issued in 1896, still steadily con- 

 tinues. During the year three reprints, aggregating 70,000 copies, 

 were issued, bringing the total number of reprints u^) to nine, with an 

 aggregate of more than 200,000 copies in four years. The bulletin 

 has been recently translated into Bohemian and is appearing serially 

 in the "Ilospodar," a Bohemian agricultural paper published at 

 Omaha, Nebr. 



ROUTINE WORK. 



Routine work still consumes much of the time of the office force. 

 About 1,253 letters were received during the year, and many of these 

 were accompanied by reports, schedules, and notes, which were exam- 

 ined and filed for future reference. Abont 2,041 letters were written, 

 several hundred schedules distributed to migration observers and cor- 

 respondents, and several hundred packages were received and sent 

 out. Other office work comprises arrangement of reports and notes 

 received from field naturalists and correspondents, preparation and 

 examination of accounts, care of collections, unpacking and repack- 

 ing specimens received for identification, forwarding supplies to 

 field naturalists, bibliographical work, and preparation of reports and 

 bulletins for publication. Much of the correspondence recently has 

 consisted of inquiries in regard to the Lacey Act. Many requests are 

 received for copies of the law, many inquiries as to the provisions 

 regarding shipments of birds from one State to another, and many 

 applications for permits to import foreign animals and birds. Un- 

 doubtedly this correspondence will increase in the future, and will 

 require the entire time and attention of at least one assistant. Pro- 

 vision should be made for handling the additional work necessitated 

 in replying to such inquiries and in issuing permits for the entry of 

 foreign birds by making an increase in the salary roll of the Division. 



