4 LETTER OE TRANSMITTAL. 



investigation includes collection of all available data on the natural 

 history of the elk; a review of the efforts which have been made by the 

 State to protect and perpetuate the species; the losses by wolves, 

 poaching, and starvation; experiments in feeding during severe 

 weather; provision for summer range in the State game preserve; 

 and recommendations for winter refuges where an adequate supply of 

 forage may be obtained. The present 7 ..^Ucation is a preliminary 

 report and deals mainly with the information collected regarding 

 the condition of the elk during the past winter. It will probably 

 be followed shortly by a summary of the work accomplished by the 

 State, and later by reports on feeding and refuges and other problems 

 concerning which data are not yet ready for publication. 

 Respectfully, 



Henry W. Henshaw, 

 Chief, Biological Survey. 

 Hon. James Wilson, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



