116 Fortieth Annual Meeting 



of historic and scientific interest, fifty-one for the protection 

 of birds, and one hundred and fifty for forestry. 



Within this ':'ast empire, the principal rivers of the 

 United States have their sources in a marvelous network 

 of ideal trout streams. They are considered ideal from 

 their very location in the mountains or higher elevations of 

 the surrounding country, beyond the evil effects of an 

 over-civilization, where they are free from pollution and 

 their rapid fall and environment make them the natural 

 home of the game trout. These reservations, containing 

 some of the grandest mountain, forest and river scenery 

 and much of the best big game hunting and fishing, are 

 being each year made more accessible by substantial im- 

 provements in the way of macadamized roads, telegraph 

 and telephone equipment, and modern hotels, thus elimi- 

 nating many of the rougher phases of camp life. 



During the past year over five hundred thousand people, 

 representing every country in the world, visited these re- 

 serves for health, pleasure and recreation. Under such con- 

 ditions these places are destined to become the great play- 

 grounds of the American people. With some of them, espe- 

 cially Yellowstone National Park, the writer has been closely 

 identified during the past decade, having personally con- 

 ducted the first fish-cultural operations there and been in 

 active charge ever skice. Previous to the efforts of the 

 Bureau of Fisheries a large portion of Yellowstone National 

 Park was destitute of fish life, while now it offers probably 

 the best game trout fishing in the country and is frequently 

 mentioned by enthusiastic writers as the angler's paradise. 

 Here is located the greatest game trout station in the 

 country, where millions of eggs are each year collected, 

 eyed, and shipped to supply various federal and state 

 hatcheries less favorably situated and to applicants in many 

 states. Over eight million eggs have been collected during 

 a single season. 



Although Yellowstone National Park was set aside as a 

 government reservation in the early seventies, practically all 



