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tnukT-s - iipiKin- hi lit' viTv iiiiuli nicic alMiiidaiit lliaii 

 lias beeu t'onunonlv supposeil. The ploiilitude of soiiu- 

 of tihese species which destroy aiiinially large uninbers 

 of domesticated fowls, j>anit', etc., acciniiits, in a large 

 degree, for Hie grcs-it loss wliicli is cveiy year sustained 

 hy farmers and ])oiilterers. 



Ahonl three M'ars a-o llic wrilcr he-aii lo coII.tI 

 sialislics and data cmuei nini; Hie riir-hraring and 

 jKinlliy destroying mammals wiiieli are found in Penn- 

 sylvania. IMTorls in (his direction were eminently 

 successful and a larg{> amount of interesting and in- 

 structive material was obtained from fur dealers, hnn- 

 lers, trappers and naturalists lliroughout the State. 



Unfortunately, however, tlie lire which burned the 

 Stale Capitol building in February, 18!tT, destroyed 

 this material which, with everything else in (he otlice 

 of tlie writer, was consumed. At first, when the it^- 

 ports from some sources shnwing great numbers of 

 animals taken yearly for (he ikKs or bomily began to 

 reach the office, they were leeked upon wilii doubt 

 and it was thought they were sent wiilKuit proper in- 

 tpiiry or by niistalces, unwittingly made. The fig- 

 ures given, in some cases, were so surprising, that 

 afl(>r consuKatiou with the Secretary of this Depart- 

 iiK'ul, who in common with the Zoologist, was desirous 

 of ])nblishiiig for public use no misleading statistics, 

 special etTorts were made to verify a number of the 

 returns where there was any possible i-ooni for doubt 

 as to reliability. These efforts showtHi — barring a few 

 reports from professional scalp hunters and over-zenl- 

 (uis fiir-buyers — that the returns niadt> to this Deiiart- 

 ment were cOii-rect. and wher(> defective, it was be- 

 •Niuse (he persons preparing (hem had been so caudous 

 as to underestimate rathei- than exaggerat(\ Tn 

 chapter IX of this document a number of "bounty rec- 



