xxx BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



of the State Board of Agriculture, to be distributed under the 

 direction of said Board. As this distribution was necessarily 

 free in character, books were available for a very limited period 

 only. They were reserved, however, to some extent for persons 

 identified with "bird work," and who had in one way or another 

 been of service to the Ornithologist of the Board of Agriculture 

 in the performance of his duties. In spite of this effort, many 

 such persons, as well as libraries and educational institutions, 

 had to go on the waiting list for a second edition, which it was 

 presumed would be authorized. 



The Legislature of 1907 provided for this second edition by 

 chapter 77 of the Resolves of that year, the edition to number 

 5,000 copies. Provision was made for supplying each member 

 of the Legislature with 10 copies of the book. It. was further 

 provided that " Copies may be sold by the secretary of the State 

 Board of Agriculture at a price not less than the cost thereof, 

 and additional copies may be printed for sale at the discretion 

 of the secretary, the expense thereof to be paid from the re- 

 ceipts from such sales. Any amount received from sales shall 

 be paid into the treasury of the Commonwealth." 



Twenty-one hundred copies of the second edition were placed 

 at the disposal of the secretary of the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture on December 17, at which date applications for approxi- 

 mately 1,900 copies had been filed. These persons were noti- 

 fied by circular letter that the second edition was available, and 

 that the cost price had been fixed at $1. By the end of the 

 month many of the books had been disposed of, and nearly 

 $800 turned into the State treasury as proceeds of sales made. 



The great popularity of this work shows that it fills a recog- 

 nized want of the people of the State and nation. Nothing in 

 relation to bird lore has been published anywhere which treats 

 the subject from such a rational standpoint, and in a manner at 

 once novel and sensible. The importance of bird study and 

 knowledge is now being appreciated to something like its full 

 value. Much work remains to be done in study and investi- 

 gation along economic lines, in order that farmers and others 

 may be informed as to the great value of birds to the commu- 

 nity, and in special cases as to the best means of perpetuating 

 and increasing them. The time has come when the position 



