28 BULLETIN No. 34. 



the Department of y\y;riculture, entitled 'The Diseases and 

 Enemies of Poultry, with such additional matter and changes 

 as the authors may deem necessary to more fully explain this 

 important subject.' This resolution was approved on March 9, 

 1897, and on April following the State Printer received from the 

 Superintendent of Public Printing to proceed with the publica- 

 tion of the work, including an order to 'make type pages smal- 

 ler and double lead as directed, special cover illustrat.d as di- 

 rected by the order'." The result was simply astounding, from 

 a pamphlet of less than 200 pages and costing about 1 1 cen':s per 

 copv, it had swelled to a bulky paper-bound volume of 866 pages 

 and 103 additional illustrations, costing between $4.00 and JF, 5.C0 

 per copy, or a total cost of $56,000.! 



The Governor upon his return from a short visit to the 

 West, was put in possession of the facts and immediatly sent 

 for the Secretary of Agriculture and directed him to discharge 

 from the public service Dr. B. H. Warren, State Zoologist, the 

 auther of fhis publication, but was informed that he had al- 

 ready resigned and left the State. (Part of the testimony 

 given by ex-Governor Hastings in behalf of ex-Postmaster 

 General Wanamaker, in the collapsed suit for slander brought by 

 ex-Superintendent of Public Printing Robinson last December.) 



The Public Printer was compelled to carry the case to the 

 Supreme Court, where he has just received a favorable decision 

 ordering the State to pay !iis bill as he had done the work "in a 

 satisfactory manner, and apparently, as far as the relator was 

 concerned in a regular and orderly course of business. The 

 Commonwealth got what it had ordered. If the cost was un- 

 duly increased it was because unlimited discretion was given to 

 the authors to make clianges and additions. The consequences 

 of such loose and inconsiderate legislation may rest where they 

 belong, and not visited upon the contractor, who appears to have 

 acted faithfully." Where this edition has gone I am unable to 

 say as I have seen but a single copy, but is possible that the 

 recipients will find it less profitable than the former well bound 

 editions; and it is safe to predict the Pennsylvania as a State 

 will be chary of booming Ornithological works of any stamp 

 for years to come. The second scalp act was more thorough 

 than the first. [F. L. B.] 



