noted by detailed statement attached, and the total amount of money 
required to pay the bounties during the past fiscal year was $128,- 
269.50, consisting of 33,486 separate claims. If the claims for boun¬ 
ties continue pouring into the office at the present rate, as they un¬ 
doubtedly will so long as this industrial depression lasts, the amount 
of money necessary to pay the bounties during the 1922 fiscal year 
will be approximately $125,000 or more, even though the weasel 
bounty has been reduced to $1.50. For the purpose of comparison, 
I give below a statement covering the payment of bounties since 
April 15, 1915 up to and including November 30, 1921, as follows: 
AMOTT1STT 
- YEAR: 
WILD OAT : 
GRAY POX: 
RED FOX: 
MINK: 
WEASEL: 
PAID: 
1916* 
862 
5,124 
5,335 
4,845 
39,111 
$ 70,046 
1917 
393 • 
3,734 
3,336 
5,846 
44,720 
66,614 
1918 
315 
3,310 
2,810 
4,328 
28,631 
47,089 
1919 
442 
4.474 
4,246 
5,189 
34,625 
69,290 
1920 
314 
4,527 
2,295 
2,253 
53,8,73 
125,184 
1921 
308 
3,372 
3,375 
3,753 
59,755 
128,269.50 
Totals, 
2,634 
24,541 
21,397 
23,214 
260,705 
506,491.50 
t 
^Includes bounties paid from April 15, 1915, to Dec. 1, 1916, inci. 
Many sportsmen can scarcely believe that since the beginning of 
our present bounty system we have paid bounties on more than 
2,600 wild cats, almost 50,000 foxes and more than 260,000 weasels, 
requiring a total of more than a. half million dollars tO ! pay the boun¬ 
ties without the cost of administration, which including postage, 
etc., at this, time aggregates about $9,000 per annum. The sportsmen 
generally agree that probably half as many more of these animals 
of various kinds, especially weasels, were killed by interested sports¬ 
men for which no bounty was claimed. What the result of the inroads 
of this horde of destroyers would be were they permitted to go on 
unchecked is appalling. However, whether we can continue paying 
even the present rate of bounties on animals of various kinds and at 
the same time conduct our many other activities on anything like the 
scale that has prevailed in the past will depend entirely upon the 
funds available for the use of the Department. Should industrial 
conditions, make a decided improvement, the amount of vermin killed 
will be materially reduced. 
KILL OF VERMIN BY EMPLOYES 
Our field officers during the past year killed vermin as follows: 
02 
co 
a> 
to 
a; 
TO 
TO 
•+•> 
TO 
cj 
TO 
Dogs 
Stray 
Domestic 
Cats 
-M 
D 
d 
•«—i 
O 
N 
03 
f-H 
o 
X 
o 
d 
02 
TO 
fl 
•r-H 
Weasels 
Opossum 
Ch 
’& 
P 
o 
U 
O 
k 
Skunks 
i 
Crows 
\ 
Crow 
Nests 
Hawks 
TO 
£ 
S3 
M 
m 
i 
£ 
o 
oq 
CL 
£ 
C 
Game 
Protectors: 
2,281 
1,359 
7 
20 
10 
26 
127 
6 
86 
46 
3,225 
212 
518 
36 
23 
Game 
Preserve 
Keepers: 
81 
85 
43 
41 
72 
37 
132 
11 
196 
214 
326 
15 
95 
5 
m 
1 
Totals. 
2,332 1,444 
50 
61 
82 
63 
259 
17 
282 
26 1 > 
5,551 
227 
603 
41 
43 
1 
SONG AND INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS 
vjubei\ers agree that song and insectivorous birds are increasing 
throughout the entire United States and that some species, the life- 
work of .which may be considered entirely beneficial, have even in¬ 
creased to a point where inroads upon fruit and berry crops are be- 
coming a serious question. Unfortunately, the planting of food 
of various kinds for our birds has not kept pace with the laws giving 
additional protection, and in a number of States during the past 
summer the Federal authorities saw fit to issue permits for the killing 
of robins during,, fruit and berry seasons. Your resolution of July 
1st, 1921 on this subject was as follows: 
“The attention of the Board was called to the fact 
that the Federal Government has, been issuing permits 
to persons to kill robins from May 16th to July J5th 
when these birds are destroying cherries, berries, and 
other small fruit. 
“The Board was unanimously of the opinion that if 
the robins are so numerous as to be seriously destruc¬ 
tive, the proper time to reduce them would be in the 
autumn and not in the nesting season. 
“The laws of Pennsylvania do not give authority to 
the Board of Game Commissioners, or to any citizen, 
to kill robins or any other insectivorous birds, at any 
time.” 
This seems to meet wish the entire approval of the great majority 
of our citizens. 
CO -OPERATION WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS 
The field force of this Department continues co-operating as closely 
as possible wixli the forces of the Department of Forestry, Depart¬ 
ment of Fisheries, State Police, as well as with the Department of 
Agriculture, in the latter instance in the enforcement of the dog 
license law, as required by Act of Assembly. The manner in which 
rnese several neid forces are co-operating is, being favorably comment¬ 
ed upon by sportsmen in all portions of the State, and this condition 
will undoubtedly vastly improve conditions in the future. 
STATUS OF FUNDS 
From tabulated statements attached you will note the amounts 
expended from our funds during the past fiscal year, which expendi¬ 
tures, because of conditions that are entirely unavoidable, are con¬ 
siderably greater than will be possible in the future. It has develop¬ 
ed that the demands made upon our officers during the past year 
because of unemployment lias resulted in a greater expenditure for 
29 
