668 ^ CENTURY OF PROGRESS IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES 



public domain," thus placing the responsibility directly on the Survey. This 

 action may have been precipitated by a disastrous outbreak of rabies among wild 

 animals in the West. In 1916 more than half of the appropriation for food habits 

 research was expended in activities to control the wolf and coyote. Efforts to 

 eradicate these animals have been continued. 



Where conditions are suitable, poison is by far the most economical and effi- 

 cient known agent for the destruction of the coyote, other predatory mammals, 

 and rodents, where they are abundant. The continued use of this method in 

 eradicating noxious species brought many objections. Many useful species were 

 unintentionally killed. Valuable fur-bearers have been destroyed in considerable 

 numbers. Continued protests by those who favored a reduction in poisoning opera- 

 tions and a modified policy of control by a government agency culminated in open 

 discussion of the pros and cons of the method. A symposium on predatory animal 

 control was held in New York City, May 21, 1930, at which scientists of the Bio- 

 logical Survey defended the program, while those from universities, museums, and 

 other organizations brought out the dangers attendant on the widespread use of 

 poison. For details of these discussions, the reader is referred to the August, 

 1930, issue of the Journal of Mammalogy. 



The shift of emphasis from surveys and distributional studies to that of con- 

 trol of noxious pests was inevitable. Pressure from agriculture and livestock 

 interests had brought this to pass. AVithout the purely scientific studies of the 

 Merriam era, however, the distribution of various small mammals of economic 

 significance would not have been known. When the call came for control, imme- 

 diate steps could be taken and widespread efforts made at reduction. This is 

 essential in controlling many of our western ground squirrels, for piecemeal 

 efforts result only in temporary relief. 



Other divisions of the survey have been occupied with mammal investigations. 

 This is reflected in the scope of the reports that have been published in recent 

 years. Until rather recently, the Division of Food Habits Research, while empha- 

 sizing the economic status of birds, had made marked contributions to our knowl- 

 edge of wild mammal dietary. Such studies are essential in determining, in part, 

 economic relationships. Considerable effort has been directed to the investigations 

 and life histories of rodents, by far the major share of such studies being focused 

 on the Norway rat. This unmitigated pest has no redeeming quality. The loss it 

 occasions yearly to our foodstuffs and as an agent in the spread of disease is all 

 too well known. Research directed toward new raticides has played a not incon- 

 siderable part in our increasing and successful war against this arch enemy of 

 man. 



Research on fur-bearers, with special emphasis on problems of the fur fanner, 

 has long been under the Division of Fur Resources. These investigations are con- 

 cerned primarily with nutritional and disease studies. 



The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program was inaugurated in 1938 

 under the Pittman-Robertson Act, which provides for the use, in behalf of wild- 

 life, of income from the Federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition. In 

 the thirteenth year of the program, closing on June 30, 1951, a sum of $17,846,423 

 was made available for tliis work. Federal allotment is matched by a 25 per cent 

 contribution from the states to carry out approved projects. Many of the state 

 conservation departments and the state colleges and universities have profited by 



