BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SUR\'EY. 361 



Information refrai'din^ its bird enemies being desirable, a prelimi- 

 nary investigation was made. The kingbird, starling, meadowlark, 

 crow blackbird, cardinal, and catbird were found to feed upon the 

 pe.-t. The investigation will be renewed the coming year. 



As the fiscal year closed, an investigation was under way in Massa- 

 chusetts to determine the relation of birds to the European corn 

 borer, an insect that is arousing great apprehension among eastern 

 agriculturists. 



(•<)OVERATI^•E STUDIES OF BIKD FOOD. 



Examinations of special collections of stomachs of birds for the 

 benefit of individuals and organizations requiring definite informa- 

 tion on the food habits of birds at certain localities and seasons, long 

 a minor feature of the work in economic ornithology, were unusually 

 numerous during the year. The material examined was donated to 

 the bureau, thus passing into its general collection. Among the col- 

 lections examined in this way were a series of wild-duck stomachs 

 from Massachusetts, Michigan, and Alaska ; one of hawks from New 

 York; owls from New Jersey; owls and woodpeckers from Oregon; 

 quail from New York and Georgia ; crossbills from Indiana ; rosy 

 finches and Canada jays from Yellowstone Park; rosj^ finches and 

 ruffed grouse from British Columbia; and miscellaneous birds from 

 New Mexico and Peru. 



BIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS. 



With the resumption of peace conditions and the return to the 

 service of several members of the scientific staff from overseas duty 

 the work of the Division of Biological Investigations has returned 

 to normal and during the j^ear developed certain new^ activities. 



Field and laboratory work has been conducted along lines help- 

 ful to other activities of the bureau, including the enforcement of the 

 migratory-bird treaty act and of the Lacey Act, Avhich regulates the 

 importation of birds and wild mammals and interstate commerce in 

 game, administration of mammal and bird reservations, general con- 

 serv.ation of game mammals and birds, and the lines of work bear- 

 ing upon the economic relations of mammals and birds to agricul- 

 ture, forestry, and stock raising. Progress has been made in adding 

 to and arranging the various card indexes recording information on 

 the distribution, abundance, and habits of North American mam- 

 mals and l)irds. These files contain a large volume of data collected 

 from all possible sources, including the manuscript reports of field 

 parties of the bureau, notes gleaned from correspondence, reports 

 from other bureaus, scientific institutions, and innumerable private 

 individuals, abstracts from publications, and the results of examina- 

 tion of specimens submitted by colleges, museums, and individual 

 collectors throughout North America. These files have become in- 

 creasingly valuable from year to year and have enabled the bureau 

 to become a clearing house for information regarding the wild birds 

 and mammals of this continent. Thousands of letters are annually 

 written in response to inquiries received from all parts of the countr3' 

 on these subjects. 



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