456 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Federal statute under which assailants of Federal officers engaged 

 in the discharge of their duties may be adequately punished. 



STATE HUNTING LICENSES. 



Incomplete returns show a substantial increase in the number of 

 hunting licenses issued in some States and a small decrease in others. 

 Reports received indicate that the total number issued in the United 

 States probably exceeds 4,000,000, approximately the same number 

 as issued the preceding year. In addition, under a legal authoriza- 

 tion, nearly half as many people hunted without a license. 



MIGRATORY-BIRD TREATY-ACT ADVISORY BOARD. 



The migratory-bird treaty-act advisory board held its annual 

 meeting in Washington on December 14 with 16 of the 22 members 

 present. A number of amendments to the Federal regulations sug- 

 gested by the bureau were considered by the board, and its recom- 

 mendations were very helpful to the department in reaching its de- 

 cisions on the advisability of making changes in the regulations. 

 The meeting of this board each year is of great service to the bureau 

 also in giving an opportunity to confer with State game officials and 

 other conservationists among its members regarding migratory wild- 

 fowl conditions throughout the country and the effect of the policy 

 of the department in maintaining the supply of these valuable game 

 birds. 



MATING HABITS OF MIGRATORY WATERFOWL. 



Supplementing its investigations of last year to determine the 

 earliest mating dates of wild ducks in the Mississippi Valley regions, 

 the bureau this year again assigned an assistant biologist to investi- 

 gate mating and breeding habits of wild fowl in Missouri, as stated 

 earlier in this report. Last year his investigations were confined 

 mainly to the northern part of the State, but this year they extended 

 into the southeastern sections, where the mating of wild ducks was 

 found to be well advanced as early as February 21. The data thus 

 gathered are of the utmost value, in view of the demand still being 

 made for the privilege of hunting wild fowl in Missouri and certain 

 other States later in the winter than January 31. 



PERMITS TO KILL MIGRATORY BIRDS INJURIOUS TO PROPERTY. 



Under regulation 10 of the migratory-bird treaty-act regulations 

 the Secretary issued orders during the year permitting employees 

 of the State Conservation Commission of Wisconsin to kill great blue 

 herons and authorizing State game wardens of Idaho to kill mer- 

 gansers and great blue herons when these birds are found injurious 

 to fish. In addition, growers of small fruits in Connecticut, Idaho^ 

 and Washington and members of their immediate families and their 

 bona fide employees were given permission to kill robins found 

 injuring cherries or other small fruits from May 16 to September 

 30. Permits for this purpose were already valid in Colorado, Indi- 

 ana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, and Wiscon- 

 sin. These orders provide that robins may be killed only when com- 

 mitting or about to commit serious injury to growing cherries or 



