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The National Geographic Magazine 



commerce the danger of the introduction 

 of noxious birds, mammals, and insects is 

 ever present. To prevent the introduc- 

 tion of birds and mammals likely to be- 

 come pests is one of the special duties of 

 the Biological Survey. 



GUARDING AGAINST DANGEROUS IMPORTA- 

 TIONS 



The English sparrow serves as an 

 ever-ready example of the disastrous 

 consequences of the unwise introduction 

 of a species into a new home. Under 

 the present law and system of inspection, 

 this pest could never have obtained a 

 foothold in America, since so well known 

 were the bird's habits in its native land 

 that its disastrous career on this con- 

 tinent would have been foreseen and its 

 entry prohibited. 



Under the mistaken idea that the 

 mongoose would prove beneficial by de- 

 voting itself to the destruction of small 

 rodents, and ignorant of the fact that the 

 animal is omnivorous and one of the most 

 destructive creatures in existence, more 

 than one attempt has been made to im- 

 port it into the United States, where its 

 successful introduction would prove noth- 

 ing less than a national calamity. 



Attempts to bring in numerous noxious 

 birds and beasts have been frustrated 

 only by the vigilance of the inspectors. 

 It is, however, necessary to guard not 

 only against intentional importation of 

 noxious species from mistaken philan- 

 thropic motives, but unintentional ones; 

 and when it is understood that under the 

 433 permits issued last year for the entry 

 of foreign birds and animals were in- 

 cluded 274,914 canaries, 47,383 miscel- 

 laneous birds, and 654 mammals, it will 

 be seen that mistakes of identity by im- 

 porters might easily be made, and that 

 under the guise of innocent species nox- 

 ious ones might find entrance. Every 

 shipment of birds or beasts, therefore, is 

 carefully scanned by expert agents, who 

 seize upon noxious species arid prevent 

 their entry into the country by compelling 



their destruction or their return to the 

 port of shipment. The Lacey act is not 

 intended to restrict legitimate trade or 

 work undue hardship on importers. In 

 the great majority of cases it can be 

 enforced so as to cause only slight delay 

 and yet prevent the entry of species which 

 may become pests. 



As will appear from this short sketch, 

 the work of the Biological Survey is em- 

 inently practical in its nature and intent. 

 Beginning with investigations of the food 

 habits of a few of our most important 

 birds, the scope of its work has widened 

 until it involves the study of all our birds 

 and mammals in their manifold relations 

 to man. The essential objects of this 

 branch of the work are to show from a 

 basis of ascertained fact the particular 

 species that are beneficial and those that 

 are injurious, and to indicate the best 

 methods of preserving the one class and 

 of destroying the other. Incidental to 

 its main object, it endeavors to collect 

 and to supply to those interested all 

 available information relative to the dis- 

 tribution and abundance of our game and 

 of our birds and mammals. Its list of 

 publications is already a long one. Many 

 of its reports are purely practical, in- 

 tended for the information and guidance 

 of the farmer ; others are more' strictly 

 scientific and are designed to serve ed- 

 ucational purposes. 



Strange as it may seem, the United 

 States, one of the youngest of the world's 

 powers, is a pioneer in the kind of eco- 

 nomic work outlined in the present paper. 

 European countries, however, are now 

 recognizing the immense importance to 

 agriculture of such investigations and 

 their absolute necessity as the basis for 

 national and international laws. 



As the world's population increases 

 and as vast regions of land now wild 

 and uncultivated are brought under the 

 plow, so must investigations of the kind 

 entrusted by Congress to the Biological 

 Survey ever assume more and more im- 

 portance. 



