156 
March, 1918 
FOREST A 
FOREST and stream 
FORTY-SEVENTH YEAR 
FOUNDERS OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETY 
GOVERNING BOARD: 
GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL, New York, N, Y. 
CARL E. AKELEY, American Museum of Natural History, New York 
FRANK S. DAGGETT, Museum of Science, Los Angeles, Cal. 
EDMUND HELLER, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C, 
C. HART MERRIAM, Biological Survey, Washington, D. C. 
WILFRED H. OSGOOD, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Ill. 
JOHN M. PHILLIPS, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
CHARLES SHELDON, Washington, D. C. 
GEORGE SHIRAS, 3rd, Washington, D. C. 
WILLIAM BRUETTE, Editor 
Nine East Fortieth Street, New York City 
THE OBJECT OF THIS JOURNAL WILL BE TO 
studiously promote a healthful interest in outdoor recrea¬ 
tion, and a refined taste for natural objects. Aug. 14, 1873 
FIGHTING INJURIOUS ANIMALS 
N Forest and Stream for January attention was called 
to the good war work being done by a division of the 
Bureau of Biological Survey in saving the country’s food 
supply. This is being accomplished by destroying preda¬ 
tory animals which kill livestock, and injurious rodents 
which feed on crops of one kind and another. Details 
of this excellent work are furnished by the Annual Re¬ 
port of Mr. E. W. Nelson, Chief of the Biological Sur¬ 
vey, which has recently been published. 
The destruction of livestock by wolves, coyotes, bob¬ 
cats, mountain lions and bears amounts annually to many 
millions of dollars, and the depredations of ground squir¬ 
rels, rabbits, prairie dogs, mice and rats, to hundreds of 
millons of dollars. It is the work of this division of the 
Biological Survey to lessen this loss by combatting these 
destructive animals. Our readers will find much of in¬ 
terest in the following extracts from Mr. Nelson’s report: 
Trapping, poisoning and shooting, supplemented by 
den-hunting during the breeding season, have proved to 
be the most effective means of reducing the numbers of 
these animals. Marked improvements in the prepara¬ 
tion and distribution of poisoned baits, as well as in 
scent-baiting traps, have been made during the year. All 
improvements in methods are at once made known to the 
entire force of official trappers and widely demonstrated 
among interested stockmen. 
During the year 30,512 predatory animals were taken, 
including 5.56 wolves, 22,342 coyotes, 107 mountain lions, 
3,053 bobcats, and 60 bears. Bears are generally consid¬ 
ered game animals and are not molested by the preda¬ 
tory-animal hunters except in cases of individuals known 
to have the habit of killing stock. In addition to the 
capture of animals by means of traps and shooting, ex¬ 
tensive poisoning campaigns were conducted, and it is 
conservatively estimated that at least 75,000 predatory 
animals were destroyed in this manner. 
As a result of this destruction of stock-killing animals 
a large saving of cattle, sheep, goats, horses, swine, and 
poultry has been effected. Stockmen have shown much 
interest in the work and in numerous instances have con- 
N D STREAM 
tributed funds for cooperation. The States of Nevada, 
Utah and Washington are also cooperating. 
Few people except those directly affected realize the 
extent of the losses of stock by predatory wild animals 
and the necessity for their control. In Colorado a single 
wolf took a toll of nearly $3,000 worth of cattle in one 
year; in Texas 2 wolves killed 72 sheep valued at $9 each 
during a period of two weeks; 1 wolf in New Mexico 
killed 25 head of cattle in two months; in Oregon 4 coy¬ 
otes in two nights killed 15 pure-bred rams valued at $20 
each; one bobcat in Texas killed over $300 worth of An¬ 
gora goats, and another, taken at Ozona, New Mexico, 
in a month had killed 53 lambs, 1 ewe, and 1 goat belong¬ 
ing to a single ranchman. 
Prairie dogs, recognized as destroyers of crops in farm¬ 
ing country and of grass in grazing country, have been 
moved against, and over about a million acres, ninety 
per cent, of the animals have been destroyed. 
Every eastern farmer knows something of the damage 
wrought by pine mice, meadow mice and deer mice on 
orchards, garden truck and potato farms. Investigations 
are being conducted as to the best method of eradicating 
these pests. Steps have been taken also for awakening a 
nationwide interest in the control of house rats and mice, 
the destructive work of which is so well known. 
It is to be presumed that all persons who are interested 
in these and kindred subjects may obtain copies of the 
Annual Report in question, on application to the Bureau 
of Biological Survey, Washington, D. C. 
SELFISH PATRIOTISM 
AMOUFLAGE is a new word, but already it has 
been overworked. Soon perhaps we shall have to 
return to more ancient figures of speech—the cloud of 
ink thrown out by the cutdefish, the dust kicked up, or 
smoke made, to conceal one’s movements, or the ex¬ 
pedient of getting up a hot argument on some subject 
far removed from the point at issue to confuse the mind 
of an opponent. 
Just now every American feels that we must do any¬ 
thing to win the war. We all agree to this; and what 
most of us mean by these words is that all should willing¬ 
ly make any sacrifice, to win the war. This, however, is 
not the universal meaning. 
Some people have adapted this win the war cry to 
their own commercial uses, and say, that to win the war, 
sheep must be allowed to graze in the public parks to 
increase the food supply. Some commercial fishermen 
ask that regulations limiting the capture of food fish be 
abolished, so that more fish may be caught and we may 
have more food, and thus win the war. Certain game 
dealers and hotel people say we should abolish the game 
laws and kill off all the game in order to have more 
food, and so win the war. 
Neither sheepmen, fishermen, nor hotel and market 
men say anything of the effect which these changes would 
have on their own pocket books. All they want is to win 
the war. They would scorn any suggestion that they 
were working for their own advantage. But next year, 
when the sheep have ruined the pasturage in the National 
Parks, when the supply of sea fishes has been greatly 
reduced, and when the game.has all been killed off, so 
that no breeding stock remains, what method will these 
patriots recommend to win the war? 
It is the duty of each good citizen and each good 
sportsman to give careful thought to these matters, and 
to realize that if sheep are pastured in the National Parks, 
if laws regulating commercial fisheries are relaxed, and 
if game is permitted to be unduly killed, a great injury 
to this country will result in the not distant future; for 
