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A BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF OAHU. 



By Vaughan MacCaughey. 

 Professor of Botany, College of Hawaii. 



The first step in the development of any comprehensive 

 project is a survey of the field. This is true in engineering, in 

 social relief, in science. The preliminary survey, the recon- 

 noissance, the sweeping view of the large topography, these 

 are the initial and necessary steps. The ultimate complete- 

 ness of the survey may depend upon any one of a considerable 

 number of governing factors. Limited facilities may compel 

 a survey to be meager and inadequate ; obscure and highly 

 complicated problems may prolong it over a long period of 

 time. Whatever may be the status of its scope or thoroughness, 

 the survey work normally precedes and underlies the other in- 

 vestigational work of its field. 



In the realm of natural history we find a striking variety oi 

 surveys. The remarkable explorations of Humboldt, Darwin, 

 Lewis and Clark ; the expeditions of the Challenger and of 

 the Albatross ; the surveys undertaken by governmental bu- 

 reaus — meteorological, soils, botanic, topographic, ornithol- 

 ogic, silvic ; the minute local records of such naturalists as 

 White. Thoreau, and Burroughs — these are fairly representa- 

 tive of the various widely dift'ering types of natural history 

 surveys. 



THE FEDERAL SURVEY. 



The term "biological survey" has several applications. One 

 of the bureaus of the federal department of agriculture is des- 

 ignated as the Biological Survey. Due to the historical pecu- 

 liarities of governmental organization this bureau's "biolog- 

 ical" work is in reality limited largely to problems relating to 

 native birds and mammals of economic importance. Its work, 

 for example, does not usually include fishes, (these being the 

 concern of the L^nited States Fish Commission), 



During the past three years survey work by the federal bu- 

 reau has been maintained in Alabama. California, Idaho. Loui- 

 siana, A\"yoming, North Dakota, Mississippi, and Xew Mexico. 

 The bureau reports that "requests for cooperation in biological 

 survey of Iowa and Nebraska have been received and work in 

 those states will be inaugurated as soon as appropriations are 

 available. . . . For several years requests have been received 

 for cooperation with the State University and State x\gricul- 

 tural College of North Dakota in a biological survey of the 

 State. . . . By the plan of cooperation arranged the Biological 

 Survey and the State are to share equally in the expenses of 

 field work and in preparing final reports." 



