9 



Interest in the subject of forestry is growing in "West Virginia 

 and all our state educational institutions should become centers 

 from which to disseminate scientific forestry information while 

 our College of Agriculture and Agricultural Experiment Station 

 should give especial attention to the subject. 



Forestry is a new science and its practical application in this 

 country is even newer. In 1893 Gifford Pinchot Tindertook the 

 first practical task in forestry on any considerable scale in this 

 country in Biltmore, North Carolina. In eighteen years from 

 that date the whole country has been aroused to the importance 

 of better timbering methods and the conservation of all our nat- 

 ural resources, with emphatic stress upon forest conservation. 

 For the wonderful interest now manifest President Roosevelt 

 gave a full measure of praise to Gifford Pinchot. In 1898 the 

 Division of Forestry transferred its chief interest to the field, and 

 the last ten years has seen forestry develop into a science until 

 it would seem that West Virginia must arouse herself to the prac- 

 tical application of that science which has in it more of importance 

 to this state than any other in the Union. The question is up to 

 our law makers, and up to them now. The question the whole 

 state is asking is, "What are they going to do about it?" 



i 



THE MAMMALS OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Notes on the Distribution and Habits of All Our Known Native 



Species. 



By Fred E. Brooks, W. Va. Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 " Morgantown, W. Va. 



Within the memory of many persons stiU living several interest- 

 ing mammals have become extinct within the territory of West 

 Virginia. At present others, that were once abundant, are becom- 

 ing so scarce that it is an event of more than local interest to see 

 or capture a specimen. Judging the future by the experience of 

 the pa.st we may conclude that within the next few years several of 

 these that are now so rarely met with, will, Like those first men- 

 tioned, cease to exist here. 



The progress of civilization with its attendant- influence has 



