sfxrr.i-.vrn .innual meeting. 37 



"The Cong-ressional Committee on Agrictiltiirc refuses the 

 annual appropriation for the Biological Survey of tlie United 

 States l^epartmcnt of .\griculture. This surve\' is of the 

 greatest value to the farmers of the country. 'I'he eccMiomic 

 work that it has done in studying the food hal)its of birds and 

 demonstrating their usefulness has no parallel anywhere in the 

 WDrld. Most of our exact knowledge of the value of birds to 

 the farmer has come from the investigations of this survey. 

 The results of its work under the "Lacey Act" in protecting 

 from extermination the game jjirds and animals are excellent. 



The sur\-ey publishes and distributes farmers' bulletins 

 giving information regarding what birds and animals are use- 

 ful and injurious and suggesting means of protecting crops. 

 Also bulletins regarding the distribution and migration of 

 American game birds. It enforces the interstate laws against 

 illegal killing and shipment of game. It has established a 

 Cjuarantine against the importation of injurious animals and 

 birds. Had this survey been in existence fcM'tv vears ago it 

 would have prevented the introduction of the English sparrow. 

 It has kept out the destructixe mongoose and man\' otlier 

 pernicious creatures. 



If this appropriation is not granted tlie country will have 

 no protection against the importation of manv foreign pests. 

 The legal restrictions which now operate to pre\'ent the ex- 

 termination of certain wild fo\\ 1 and game birds camiot be 

 enforced, and a \"ast amount of manuscript regarding the 

 utility of birds, their protection, etc., which is ])eing prepared 

 for publication for the benefit of the farmers of this count rv 

 will never be published and mucli of tlie labor of vears will 

 be lost." 



Professor Brittox : I wish to say regarding this matter 

 that the appro])riation for this dixision or l)nreau has simph- 

 been dropped and largely through the efforts of W'adsworth, 

 chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, who was defeated 

 at the last election. We all know wliat valuable work has 

 l)een done by that Division and I see no particular reason win- 

 this Bureau should be dropped any more than any other at 

 Washington, and 1 hope this association will use its inlluence 

 to prevent it. 



