L'9 



OF GREAT INTEREST TO FARMERS AND SPORTSMEN. 



To farmers, sportsmen and naturalists the forest 

 fire question is one of great moment, as investigations 

 sliow that the amount of animal life, particularly birds 

 and mammals, destroyed yearly, is, in the aggregate, 

 very large. Persons who have followed in the path- 

 ways oif the great hissing, crackling, smoking and 

 life-destroying tlames, have found the charred re- 

 main.- of pheasants, wild turkeys, quails, rabbits, 

 lawns, <ii:., besides several kinds of small wild song 

 birds, I'spi'cially such species (hat nest on or near 

 I he groiuul. Last spring and summer (1S96) in almost 

 every district where the tires burned over a large 

 acreage numerous nests of grouse, besides many 

 liu'ki^ys, and iuuuiiii-ralili- lioincs of small wild birds 

 wciv dpsi roved. 



GREAT DESTRUCTION OF WIED ANIMALS. 



Through the courtesy of Dr. J. T. Kothrock, Forestry 

 Commissioner of this Department, the Zoologist has 

 been enabled to collect, from the district visited last 

 spring and summer by forest fires, a large amount of 

 \aluable data showing the great destruction caused bv 

 these conflagrations to game of different kinds, as wi'll 

 as to manv species of small wild song and iiisectiv<u'ous 

 birds which have their habitations in the forests, did 

 slashings, and bark jieelings; localities that were 

 mostly burned over. 



The ruinous fires that did so much damage u> aiiiiiial 

 life, occurred last year niucli Inti'r rlian is nsunllv tl'c 

 case, and the injury to small wild birds and game, 

 both furred and feathered, was, according to all ac- 

 (•(lunts. considerably greater than is customary to lie 

 noticed when the usual "Spring Fires" lake place. 



