214 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



cases, involving the shipment of about 16,000 birds, during the pre- 

 ceding year. This decrease in number of cases does not necessarily 

 impl}' a more careful observance of the law, for it is probable that 

 only a comparativelj' small number of violations are brought to the 

 surface. The proportion of convictions, however, will probably be 

 larger, for the cases of this year have been supported by much better 

 evidence than those of 1901, and their i^rosecution is likely to prove 

 much more effective. Of the cases arising this year, only two have 

 been dropped for lack of sufficient evidence, and one is still awaiting 

 action; the others have been referred, 23 to the Department of Justice 

 and 13 to State officers. Four of the State cases have already resulted 

 in conviction. Since the passage of the act 24 convictions have 

 already been secured in cases passing through this Department — 14 in 

 the Federal courts and 10 in the State courts; and 30 or more cases 

 are still pending in the Federal courts. 



BIRD MIGRATION. 



Prof. W. W. Cooke, author of "Bird migration in the Mississippi 

 Valley" (Bulletin No. 2 of this Division, 1886), has been temporarily 

 employed to arrange the material that has accumulated since the pub- 

 lication of the former bulletin. In working out the winter ranges 

 and migration routes it was found that the number of observers in 

 the South Atlantic and Gulf States was insufficient to suppl}^ the 

 needed data. Consequently, a large amount of preliminary work 

 had to be done, and at the very beginning an attempt to increase the 

 number of observers in these sections was undertaken. With this 

 object in view about 800 letters were written, resulting in promises 

 of aid and cooperation from over 200 persons, and the actual receipt 

 of nearly six times as many reports as came from these sections in 

 1901. A bibliography of migration has been undertaken, and is now 

 practically complete, for the years 1845-1901, so far as regards United 

 States species that occur at any time south of our boundary. 



Tn preparing the results for i^ublication it has been deemed advisa- 

 ble to take up the several groups separately, and the large family of 

 warblers has been selected as the first group to be considered. A bul- 

 letin is now nearly ready for the i)ress in which are shown the winter 

 and summer distribution of warblers, the routes traveled by them in 

 passing to and fro, the times of arrival and departure at difi'erent 

 points included in their journeys, and various other details connected 

 with their migrations. The distribution and migration of 72 other 

 species, which with the warblers cover the remaining species of land 

 birds east of the Rocky Mountains that regularly migrate to points 

 south of the United States, have also been partially determined; 

 reports on these are expected to follow. 



PUBLICATIONS. 



The publications issued during the year included two numbers of 

 North American Fauna (Nos. 20 and 21), two bulletins (15 and 16), 

 two articles in the Yearbook for 1901, four circulars (34-37, inclusive), 

 the report of the Division for 1901, a revised edition of Bulletin No. 

 12, and six reprints of former i^ublications. The two numbers of 

 North American Fauna were No. 20, "Revision of the skunks of the 

 genus Chinclm,'' by Arthur H. Howell, and No. 21 (a double number) 

 the "Natural history of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Coluni- 



