100 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 83. 



eight to prohibit the sale of protected game (1903), fifteenth to 

 obtain A Federal Bird Reserve (1912), although over fifty such 

 reservations had been already created elsewhere in the United 

 States, and though first in idea, j-et of the first three to have a 

 scientific summer school for game wardens (1912). 



4. Wisconsin boasts the first thorough student of economic or- 

 nithology in the United States, the late F. H. King, Professor of 

 Soils, Wisconsin University. The good work of Prof. S. A. Forbes 

 of Illinois, began a year or two later than 1873, though pub- 

 lished (1876) before King's work was out (1883), entombed in 

 the state's four-volume work on " The Geology of Wisconsin.'' 



5. Wisconsin's first close season for Prairie Chicken was in 

 1851. Since then, game laws have grown stricter, the non-game 

 birds being removed from all molestation at all times, save by sci- 

 entific permit. The quail should become a farm bird, since he eats 

 about five pounds of insect pests and 9.75 pounds of weed seeds 

 per year, a work valued from $10 to $20 a year per bird. Wis- 

 consin's quail was being shot for game when it was most needed 

 to help save the wheat. crop from entire collapse in the chinch bug 

 epidemic of the early seventies. A single quail has eaten 500O 

 chinch bugs at a meal. 



6. The estimated annual insect loss for Wisconsin runs between 

 $13,000,000 and $40,000,000. With this, link the value of birds and 

 insectiverous mammals slaughtered in Wisconsin in 1912, $1,000,- 

 000. This figure decreases as the former increases. Already, our 

 bird population is at least 20% less than it was. 



I shall understad that no answer in the course of eight weeks 

 will mean that you have no immediate suggestion. 



A statement from me as to the possible moves that might be 

 made in the progress of bird conservation, you will find in the 

 newly issued Arbor and Bird Day Annual for 1913, obtained through 

 the oflice of the State Superintendent of Schools. 



Yours sincerely, 



A. C. BURRILL, 



Lecturer on Economic Relation of Birds.. 



