July 27, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



155 



The money has been promised, and we are 

 anxious to find a site. As to the absolute im- 

 portance to the country of having a laboratory 

 of that kind there is no doubt whatever. That 

 is not the question raised by the Treasury or by 

 any deputation. The real difficulty has been 

 how far this undertaking would interfere with 

 the amenities of Kew Gardens. We want, so 

 far as we can, to satisfy both the scientists and 

 lovers of nature. Undoubtedly there has been 

 some alarm among a certain portion of the pub- 

 lic, especially those interested in Kew Gardens 

 and open spaces, that this might to a certain 

 extent interfere with the amenities of Kew. I 

 am bound to say that the impression gathered 

 from you to-day is that to a great extent that 

 alarm is unnecessary. Of course the deputa- 

 tion represented to me the other day the dan- 

 ger of the quiet being disturbed by the noise of 

 the operations in the two proposed buildings, 

 and from what Lord Kelvin and others have 

 said to day I am satisfied that on that point, at 

 any rate, there need not be any alarm. The 

 most important point that has come out to day 

 is as to whether after all on this site you are 

 yourselves secure against electrical disturbance. 

 I need not express any opinion upon that. We 

 ought to wait for the report of the Board of 

 Trade committee to see how far that will meet 

 your requirements. I understand that if there 

 is any extension of the buildings required it 

 will be only to a little extent, and the public 

 need not fear that you will build over the whole 

 of these 15 acres. 



PROTECTION AND I3IP0RTATI0N OF BIRDS. 



During the last session of Congress a law 

 was enacted, commonly known as the Lacey 

 Act, which places the preservation, distribution, 

 introduction, and restoration of game and 

 other birds under the Department of Agricul- 

 ture ; regulates the importation of foreign birds 

 and animals, prohibiting absolutely the intro- 

 duction of certain injurious species ; and pro- 

 hibits interstate traffic in birds or game killed 

 in violation of State laws. 



The Secretary of Agriculture has placed the 

 Division of Biological Survey of his Department 

 in charge of all matters relating to the preser- 



vation and importation of animals or birds under 

 the Act, and Dr. T. S. Palmer, the Assistant 

 Chief of that Division, has immediate charge 

 of the issue of permits for the importation of 

 animals and birds from foreign countries. 



The regulations for carrying out the purposes 

 of the Act have just been published by the U. 

 S. Department of Agriculture as Biological Sur- 

 vey Circular No. 29, entitled ' Protection and 

 Importation of Birds under Act of Congress 

 approved May 25, 1900.' 



The circular explains the object of placing 

 the work in charge of an Executive Department 

 of the Federal Government as being merely to 

 supplement and not to hamper or replace the 

 work hitherto done by State commissions and 

 organizations ; in other words, to co-ordinate 

 and direct individual efforts, and thus insure 

 more uniform and more satisfactory results 

 than could otherwise be obtained. 



Attention is called to the fact that while the 

 Act provides for the purchase and distribution 

 of birds, no appropriation is made for that 

 purpose. The Department, therefore, has no 

 quail, pheasants, or other game birds for distri- 

 bution. 



The Department issues no permits for ship 

 ping birds from one State to another. In some 

 States the Board of Fish and Game Commis- 

 sioners is authorized to issue permits for ship- 

 ping birds for propagating purposes, and a few 

 States make exceptions in their game laws in 

 the case of birds captured for breeding pur- 

 poses ; but when a State forbids the exportation 

 of birds without exception, interstate commerce 

 in birds from that State is in violation of the 

 Lacey Act, whether the birds are captured dur- 

 ing open seasons or whether they are intended 

 for propagation or not. 



Persons contemplating the importation of 

 live animals or birds from abroad must obtain 

 a special permit from the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture, and importers are advised to make appli- 

 cation for permits in advance, in order to avoid 

 annoyance and delay when shipments reach the 

 custom house. The law applies to single mam- 

 mals, birds or reptiles, kept in cages as pets, as 

 well as to large consignments intended for prop- 

 agation in captivity or otherwise. 



Permits are not required for domesticated 



