BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 263 



IMPORTATION OF BIKDS AND MAMMALS. 



War conditions in lOuropc have had a marked effect on the 

 importation of birds and mammals during the year. The total sus- 

 pension of importations from central Europe and the prohibition 

 of the exportation of birds by Great Britain has compelled importers 

 in the United States to rely almost entirely on South America and 

 the Orient for live animals and birds. During the year, 413 permits 

 were issued, as compared with 411 in 191G. Inspections numbered 

 112, as compared with 103 in 1916, and 97,993 birds and 4,135 mam- 

 mals were imported under permits. Among these were 16,471 

 canaries, 35,507 miscellaneous game birds, and 46,015 nongame birds. 

 Besides these, 7,007 birds and 339 mammals requiring no permits 

 were admitted to entry. At Honolulu only 16 permits were issued, 

 for the entry of 515 birds, principally pheasants. So far as known 

 no prohibited species were brought in during the year. Many foxes 

 for fur farming purposes have been imported from Canada, par- 

 ticularly from the Maritime Provinces, but the total number is less 

 than last year. 



The number of pheasants imported has reached the lowest point 

 in 15 years, having declined from 15,412 in 1912 to 832 in 1917. 

 European partridges are conspicuous by their absence, practically 

 none having been imported during the year, and apparently few 

 waterfowl are included among the entries. Canaries have decreased 

 from 392,422 imported in 1916 to less than one-fourth of this num- 

 ber, and as a result the prices of these popular and formerly cheap 

 cage birds have risen so high as to be almost prohibitive. 



Traffic from the Orient has caused the port of San Francisco to 

 assume almost as much importance as a receiving port for birds and 

 mammals as that of New York, and most of the rare species have 

 come through the west coast. An unusually large shipment of rare 

 mammals and birds from Australia reached Seattle on November 9, 

 and the specimens were ultimately distributed to several zoological 

 parks in the East and West. The most noteworthy mammals im- 

 ported were several rare kangaroos, including the island. Parry, and 

 tree kangaroos, and black swamp wallabies; among the birds were 

 two keas, or sheep-eating parrots {Nestor notahilis)^ from New 

 Zealand, the first imported since 1906 ; and the ocellated Mallee fowl 

 {Alectura ocellata). Of the species of birds imported for the first 

 time into the United States were a pair each of the Australian white 

 ibis (/5^s m. strictipennis) and straw-necked ibis {CarpMMs spini- 

 collis), and a New Zealand giant petrel {Macronectes giganteus 

 albus) from the Australian and New Zealand seas. Among other 

 interesting importations were two bell birds {Chasmorhynchus nudi- 

 collis) from Brazil; a babbling thrush {Icoterus komadori) from the 

 Liu Kiu Islands; and several species of Philippine birds, including 

 the spotted button quail {Turnix ocellata) and the Philippine rail 

 {Eypotcenidia torquata). 



IMPORTATION OF QUAIL FROM MEXICO. 



Joint regulations govei-ning the importation of quail from Mexico 

 were issued by the Treasury Department and the Department of 



