BUREAU OF THE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY 



99 



at Pocatello, Idaho. The laboratory seeks to develop more 

 efficient methods of control chiefly through the discovery of 

 new types of poisons while the Idaho plant makes the poison 

 bait which is used by the Survey men in the field. In some 

 instances as a matter of courtesy, bait is processed without 

 charge for state conservation departments which furnish the 

 necessary materials. 



There are four field investigators attached to the labora- 

 tory staff who try out new poisons under the actual con- 

 ditions obtained in the field, and who study the natural 

 habits of predatory animals and rodents so as to determine 

 the type of poison bait that will be most effective. 



A great part of the work is financed by cooperative funds 

 obtained partly from the federal government and partly from 

 other sources. During the fiscal year 1932 the federal funds 

 expended by the Division for predatory animal and rodent 

 control totalled $596,606 while at the same time 36 co- 

 operating states spent $448,251, and in addition counties, 

 livestock associations, and individuals contributed practically 

 half a million dollars. 34 Thus the cooperative agencies dur- 

 ing that year nearly doubled the contribution of the federal 

 government for control work, although since that time their 

 contributions have fallen off considerably. 



The Survey when undertaking work to be financed co- 

 operatively prefers to enter into a formal written agreement 

 in which the rights and duties of each party are clearly 

 stated. The control operations call for a technique of a 

 high order, and therefore in each instance the Survey has 

 insisted that the actual direction of the work remain in the 

 hands of trained Survey personnel. 



The use of such agreements is not limited to agencies 

 outside of the federal government but is also used between 

 departments. Thus the Survey has written agreements re- 



34 Report of the Chief (1932), op. cit., p. 10. 



