BUKEAU OF BIOLOGICAI> SUKVKY. 357 



In order to obtain more information regarding methods of rein- 

 deer management, Dr. Seymour Had"\ven, who was the chief reindeer 

 specialist for two years in Alaska, will go to northern Europe during 

 the summer of 1922 to study the industry there, including herd 

 management, prevalent parasites and diseases and their control, 

 and such other matters as will be helpful to the bureau and to herd 

 owners in Alaska. 



LARGE CARIBOU BULLS FOR BREEDING PURPOSES. 



A field naturalist with headquarters at Fairbanks has continued 

 investigations of the caribou of that region, and much valuable 

 information has resulted, A supply of the large type of caribou 

 from which young bulls may be obtained for use in breeding exper- 

 iments to increase the size and vitality of the reindeer has been 

 located in the Mount McKinley National Park. With the coopera- 

 tion of the National Park Service arrangements are being made to 

 capture some of these animals and hold them in an inclosure in the 

 park until they can be taken down the Yukon on a barge and placed 

 with a herd of reindeer from which the reindeer bucks will l)e elimi- 

 nated. It is believed that the meat output of the Alaskan reindeer 

 can be practically doubled ])y careful selection of breeding stock. 



GAME AND BIRD RESERVATIONS. 



Federal game and bird reservations now number 69, all but one 

 of which are bird refuges, and this one is also a national park, so 

 that birds are protected there under park regulations. Five of the 

 number are big-game refuges. 



The plan of temporarily transferring wardens from one reserva- 

 tion to another in order to broaden their experience and usefulness 

 has been successful. It is now contemplated filling the assistant 

 warden vacancies as they occur with young men of proper fitness to 

 develop into wardens, thus enabling them to groAv up in the service. 

 The practice of transferring these assistants to diiferent reserva- 

 tions and of detailing them for a short time to the central office 

 at Washington will fit them for a more effective performance of 

 their duties and provide a Avell-trained personnel competent to de- 

 velop the reservations along the lines of greatest usefulness. 



Ovv'ing to a general need for information in reference to existing 

 State and Federal game and bird refuges in the United States, a list 

 of each group was prepared and issued in mimeographed form. Be- 

 cause of insufficient information, the lists are not absolutely complete 

 as to the number of refuges and their acreage, but revised editions 

 will he issued as additional data are received. 



Of the 423 State game and bird refuges listed, 346 contain a total of 

 19,331,593 acres. Wyoming has the greatest acreage of State game 

 and bird refuges, 4,201,200 acres in 13 units; Minnesota comes next 

 with 2,750,936 acres in 64 units; California^ has 1,792,000 acres in 28 

 units; and Montana 1,503,429 acres in 12 units. 



The list of Federal game and bird refuges gives a total of 115. 

 The 84 for which the acreage is given have a total of 10,323,904 acres. 



The great area included in Federal and State game and bird 

 refuges indicates how general is the interest in the protection of game 



