74 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



yjiiiif and iiongaiiic species. Personal coiilaci with tlmusands and tlic 

 teaching' of natural history in the open is laying a worth-wliih^ founda- 

 tion upon which the conservation of the future can l)e budt. If "there 

 is no more pitable sight than ignorance in action." tlicn the converse 

 is certainly true, that there is notliing nu)re offectiNc than intelligence 

 in actidu. Let the people of this state really know tbe life history and 

 habits of its fauna and its present status, and cDnservation will be 

 assured. 



It is a satisfaction to chronicle the fact that the nature guide work 

 in Yosendte has proved so useful that the original goal — a museum and 

 a park naturalist in every national park and a nature guide program 

 every season — is now assured. No little share in the success of the 

 nature guide movement is to be attributed to the farsightedness of the 

 California Fish and Game Commission in supporting the work in its 

 beginnings. 



AVith an increased personnel, the same program of evening lectures 

 and campfire talks, daily field trips and office hours has ])een pursued 

 each summer ^dth greatly increased attendance, as can be seen by 

 reference to the following tables: 



Attendance Record Yo-semite Nature Guide iicrvice. 



Field trips Lectures 



Number Attendance Number Attendance 



.Tul.v-Ausn.st, 1022 90 1,970 43 27,100 



Juue-Aiigust, 1023 22() 3.5G(j 60 40.10.-. 



May-June, 1924 72 939 8."i l(i,202 



397 6,475 197 92,497 



MOTION PICTURES. 



The Educational Department has not been in a position to push the 

 use of nu)tion pictures by schools and other organizations because of 

 the small supi)ly of films on hand and because several of the films are 

 liadly worn. The only additions made in the past two years Vv'ere a 

 reel devoted to the life history and habits of the king salmon and 

 several hundred feet on waterfoAvl in the Sacramento Valley made by 

 ourselves. Particular mention should be made of a fine series of pictures 

 of whistling swans taken in the rice fields of Butte County. A flock 

 of a thousand birds was photographed in a rice field and splendid 

 pictures of the birds in flight were secured on Butte Creek. 



The need is for a more adequate library of films so that opportunity 

 can be taken of the many requests for their use. Replacement of worn 

 films is particularly urgent. 



Nor does the demand come from within the state only, for during 

 the past two years, re(|uests have come from four western states and 

 Hawaii for the use of our films. It was necessary to refuse these 

 re(iuests in that the pictures are so constantly used in our own state. 



During the past biennial period there has been increased demand also 

 for conservation literature on the part of teachers and pupils of the 

 public schools. Evidently the public schools are placing more emphasis 

 upon nature study and conservation and herein lies the reason f(u- 

 increased demand. The Conunission's supply of teachers' bulletins is 

 practically exhausted and hundreds of letters are written a year 

 explaining that the supply of the bulletin, "Bird Study in the Public 



