to extend its provisions to a similar treaty with 

 Mexico. 



In 1909, the Bureau began a series of experiments, 

 which have continued over the years, to develop 

 methods for controlling predatory and noxious ani- 

 mals. In 1931, the Congress formally recognized the 

 predatory animal and rodent control program as a 

 Bureau function. Fur-resources investigations were 

 initiated in 1912. Bird banding, which previously had 

 been conducted by the American Bird Banding Associ- 

 ation, was taken over by the Biological Survey in 1920. 



In 1934 the original version of the Coordination 

 Act was passed. This act, for the first time, recognized 

 the importance of conserving fish and wildlife re- 

 sources in the planning of the Nation's water develop- 

 ment program. 



In 1937 the Pittman-Robertson program to provide 

 Federal aid to the States for wildlife restoration was 

 approved, permitting the new activity to start in 1938. 



Transfer and Merger 



On July 1, 1939, under the authority of the Presi- 

 dent's Reorganization Plan II, the Bureau of Fisheries, 

 U. S. Department of Commerce, and the Bureau of 

 Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 were transferred from their respective Departments 

 to the Department of the Interior. A year later, on 

 June 30, 1940, in accordance with Reorganization Plan 

 III, the two Bureaus were merged to form the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service. Policies and programs for the 

 restoration and protection of fishery and wildlife re- 

 sources were coordinated and, with only a few excep- 

 tions, the lines of work formerly authorized were 

 continued. 



The merger of these two relatively small Federal 

 agencies into a single, large organization in 1940 was 

 considered one of the most significant and forward 

 steps taken in conservation history in many years. In 

 recognition of this, the Congress granted increased 

 appropriations and additional authority to the new Fish 

 and Wildlife Service that permitted it to expand its 

 regular activities and to enter new fields of manage- 

 ment and research, such as the badly needed explora- 

 tion of the high seas. 



