7123 



called upon lo vole, as a iiiajuiilv of their coustitueuts 

 have said, lhe^\ would favor bouiily acts which, iu the 

 main, would cause an enoimous money expendituie 

 and also practically exterminate many of our most 

 benoticial animals. 



Believing, as I do, tliat this is the true state of af- 

 fairs in Pennsylvania, I have prepaied this document 

 in such a manner that it will be sought after, and if 

 it reaches, as it should, those who are interested in 

 agriculture, it will, I am confident, do a vast amount 

 of good by correcting many erroneous opinions which 

 exist about different birds and mammals. 



Any fair minded and unbiased person must admit 

 that, witli all the educational advantages of which 

 this great Commonwealth so proudly boasts, it is 

 lamentable to admit that Zoological science has been 

 so neglected that county officials iu numerous parts of 

 the State, when called upon in an official capacity to 

 receive the heads of birds and mammals under scalp 

 acts, were unable to distinguish, in some cases, re- 

 mains of domesticated animals, such as turlieys, chick- 

 ens, dogs, kittens, ferrets, mules and colts, from 

 Hawks, Owls, Wolves, Wildcats, Fcxes, Minks, Squir- 

 rels, Weasels and Rabbits. That this ignorance has 

 existed in recent years there is no doubt, as I have in 

 my possession the heads of a number of animals which 

 were sent to the Smithsonian Institute, ^Vashingfon, 

 D. C, and to my office, by county officials, as heads of 

 Hawks, Owls, Wildcats, Minks and Weasels, but ex- 

 amination proved them to be, first, in the way of birds: 



Pheasant or Ruffed Grouse, 

 Sharp-tailed Grouse, 

 Common Chicken, 

 Wild Turkey (female), 



