149 
ested in wild and cultivated plant life. The announcement of 
the Conservation Commission reads as follows: 
“John Burroughs is of the opinion that cats probably destroy 
more birds than all other animals combined. Dr. A. K. Fisher 
of the U. S. Biological Survey estimates that the cats of New 
York State destroy 3,500,000 birds annually. By far the most 
effective checks on insect and weed pests are birds. The U. S. 
Government places the value of insect and weed-seed eating 
birds to the tarmer at $1 each per year. R. M. Langdon, Secre- 
tary of the Maywood (Ill.) Bird Club, estimating the number of 
acts by census figures of farms and country homes, believes that 
throughout the country ‘the removal of the cat menace to bird 
life might mean a saving in food each year of $101,117,886.” The 
loss of food and sport in quail, grouse, pheasants and other game 
destoryed must be added to t 
_— 
1ese figures. The cat nuisance can 
be remedied only by the codperation of farmers and other har- 
borers of cats in closely limiting the number of cats on their 
premises and in destroying their litters; and by the assistance of 
sportsmen in shooting cats found hunting afield.’ The New 
York law says: “ Any person over t 
_— 
ie age of twenty-one years, 
who is the holder of a valid hunting and trapping license, may, 
and it shall be the duty of a game protector or other peace 
officer to, humanely destroy a cat at large found hunting or kill- 
ing any bird protected by law or with a dead bird of any species 
protected by law in its possession; and no action for damages 
shall be maintained for such killing.’ 
— 
Cooperation in Ecological Research—According to the Bulle- 
tin of the Ecological Society of America for January, 1918, the 
Society has appointed a “Dept. of Cooperation” in order to 
further coOperative research in different phases of ecological sci- 
ence. The purpose of the committee is (a) to draw up a list of 
problems upon which work is necessary, (b) to enter work on a 
concrete problem. The problem decided upon is ‘“ The factors 
limiting distribution on the mountains in the northeastern states,” 
and it is planned to begin work on this problem during the com- 
ing field season. The members of the committee represent the 
three main lines of work of the Society, viz.: plant ecology, for- 
