236 The American Naturalist. [March, 



— The newspaper press announced a few months ago that the Agri- 

 cultural Department of the U. S. Government had determined to intro- 

 duce the mongoose into the West to exterminate the rodents which 

 annoy the farmers of that great agricultural region. Among other 

 protests sent to Washington against this proposition, was one written 

 by one of the editors of the Naturalist. The following reply was 



Washington, D. G, Feb. 8, 1892. J 

 DearSir: Replying to your letter of the 7th inst., respecting the 

 introduction of the mongoose into the United States, I beg to say that 

 this department has never contemplated any such rash act, the intro- 

 duction of exotic species being contrary to the policy of this depart- 

 ment. Respectfully, 



Assistant Secretary. 

 This reply gives us great pleasure, since evil has almost invariably 

 resulted from the introduction of exotic animals into countries when 

 no adequate natural restriction to their increase exists. It should he 

 the duty of an Agricultural Department to impress on our farmers 

 and others the importance of preserving the natural balance of life iu 

 the country as nearly as possible. If insectivorous birds are destroyed, 

 vegetation will be overrun with insects. If the snakes are destroyed 

 the smaller mammals will increase indefinitely. A good deal of paini 

 is taken to protect birds in some of the States, but none whatever to 

 protect the harmless snakes. These animals are the natural destroyers 

 of the rodents, moles, etc., which are so destructive, and they inflict 

 absolutely no injury. Yet one can hardly open a newspaper without 

 reading of some men or boys who have found a den of snakes and have 

 as a matter of course destroyed every one of them. This is not only 

 a crime, but a blunder, and the grade of a man's intelligence is low 

 who allows himself to commit it, 



—Prof. Burt G. Wilder, in a recent paper, makes a good sug- 

 gestion. All naturalist- make mistakes, and he propose- that each 

 writer, either as soon as he finds some enor in some of Ids published 

 work, or periodically, have a public confession of sins. It certainly is 

 some stranger, 

 ■ sins of omis- 



