BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 289 



BIRD COUNTS. 



Reports of the fifth annual series of counts of birds breeding on 

 selected areas in various parts of the United States were received 

 from 84 i^ersons, who reported on over 100 different areas. Many 

 of these counts, made on areas joreviously reported on, showed an 

 increase in bird population. Owing to the unusual conditions 

 throughout the country, on account of the war, numy persons who 

 had formerly taken part in the annual bird counts were unable to 

 find time for this extra duty. With the gradual return of normal 

 conditions, however, it is confidently expected that a large increase 

 will occur in the number of these volunteer observers. 



BIOLOGICAL SURVEYS OF THE STATES. 



Good progress was made in the field work in Arizona, Florida, 

 Montana, Washington, and Wisconsin, continuing the biological sur- 

 veys which have been in progress during the past few years. 



The " Mammals of Panama," one of the results of a cooperative bio- 

 logical survey of the Canal Zone in 1911-12, is about to be issued by 

 the Smithsonian Institution. Works completed, but not published, 

 include List of Mammals of New Mexico, The Mammals of North 

 Dakota, The Mamnuils of Wyoming, The Birds of Texas, The Birds 

 of Alabama, and The Birds of New Mexico. Negotiations are being 

 conducted for the publication of the last three mentioned by the 

 States to which the reports relate, and those on Alabama and New 

 Mexico will probably be issued within a few months. A systematic 

 study of the rice rats of North America was issued during the year. 



BREEDING GROUNDS OF MIGRATORY WILD FOWL. 



An investigation of the breeding areas of ducks in North Dakota, 

 begun in June, 1918, was continued during July. During June, 1919, 

 the breeding grounds of ducks and other wild fowl in central Ne- 

 braska were \nvestigated in order to compare the results with those 

 found to obtain during former years. A gratifying increase of breed- 

 ing waterfoAvl is evident in these States owing to the protection they 

 have in spring under the migratory-bird treaty act. 



WILD LIFE IN NATIONAL PARKS. 



In cooperation with the National Park Service, Department of the 

 Interior, investigations of the distribution, abundance, and habits of 

 birds and mammals of Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks have 

 been conducted during the past few years. During the fiscal year just 

 closed revised reports on the birds and mammals of these two areas 

 were published by the National Park Service in their educational 

 literature ; an elaborate report on Glacier National Park, comprising 

 annotated lists of all the birds and mammals known to occur there, 

 was completed during the year and w^as published by the National 

 Park Service. A similar report on the mammals of the Yellowstone 

 National Park has been prepared. 



RELATION OF RODENTS TO FORAGE PRODUCTION. 



In the spring of 1918 field investigations to secure information 

 concerning the damage to crops and forage by injurious rodents were 

 begun in several western States. By means of fenced and unfenced 



