102 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the Biological Survey, visited the reservation on May 6, in 

 company with the State Ornithologist, to examine the ground 

 and make recommendations regarding means for increasing the 

 species. 



At the request of this office Mr. Norman McClintock came 

 from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and in company with the Orni- 

 thologist visited the reservation and made motion pictures show- 

 ing the wonderful posturing of the species in its mating dance. 

 Thus the most characteristic attitudes of this bird will be pre- 

 served for future generations even if the race should become 

 extinct. 



Legislation/ 

 Owing to the demands of the war and the preoccupation of 

 legislators and people generally in pressing war measures, it 

 did not seem wise to propose any new State legislation regard- 

 ing birds in 1918. 



International Bird Protection. 



The principal influence exerted from this office regarding 

 legislation w^as put forth in behalf of the migratory bird treaty 

 act, which was first introduced into the Congress of the United 

 States in 1917 for the purpose of putting into effect the treaty 

 between the Federal government and Great Britain, under 

 which it was purposed to protect migratory birds uniformly 

 throughout the United States and Canada. This treaty had 

 been ratified in 1917, and Canada had already put its provisions 

 into operation, but our Congress had failed to pass an act to 

 enable the Biological Survey to enforce the provisions of the 

 treaty in the United States. 



As nearly all Massachusetts birds are migratory, it became 

 imperative for Massachusetts people interested in Federal and 

 international protection of migratory birds to use such influence 

 as they possessed with Congress to secure the passage of this 

 bill, for by its enactment we could provide far-reaching protec- 

 tion in other States for many of our own useful birds, and also 

 avoid any international unpleasantness which might result from 

 the failure of our government to keep its engagements with a 

 friendly foreign power. Action on this bill and many others 

 had been delayed by imperative war matters which had pref- 



