LAKE MALHEUR.-Various questions have arisen on Lake Malheur Reservation concerning the rights and privileges of residents on adjoining land—such questions as cutting hay between the meander line and the shore line, burning tules, grazing hogs on Pelican Island, destroying coyotes, and trapping fur-bearing animals. These questions have been so met as to maintain friendly relations with the residents and secure their cooperation.

KLAMATH LAKE RESERVATION.-Under protection grebes are increasing on Klamath Lake. A trespasser who was shooting ducks from a motor boat was arrested in November by the warden and was fined $25 by the court. The warden has been commissioned deputy United States marshal for California and Oregon, and during the winter he cooperated with the warden service of California in protecting deer and antelope in the northern part of that State. In winter mule deer, driven by heavy snows out of the mountains of Oregon, repair to the Modoc lava beds, where they, as well as the antelope, are easily killed by lawless hunters. Both species are rapidly decreasing. Under the arrangement made it is hoped to prevent the illegal hunting.

COLD SPRINGS RESERVATION.-The Cold Springs Reservoir, which was completed three years ago, was filled to its capacity this year for the first time. The boundaries of the reservation are 10.3 miles in length, and the water surface is 1,530 acres. Owing to the absence of rushes and green food and the roughness and depth of the water, present conditions are not favorable for nesting waterfowl, and it is not probable that the small number of breeding birds will be greatly increased in the near future. But from September to May this reservoir is a stopping place for thousands of migratory ducks and geese, the latter of which remain all winter. There was formerly considerable duck shooting here, but under the present protective regulations the shooting has ceased."

DEER FLAT RESERVATION.-The Deer Flat Reservoir affords a resting place in the fall migration for large numbers of ducks and many geese, brant, and swans. Indications are that it will be also an important nesting ground for waterfowl in the future. The lake is, however, likely to become a pleasure resort, and as it is only a half hour's ride by trolley from Caldwell, and launches are being introduced, probably some restrictions will be needed.

HAWAIIAN RESERVATION.-Another Japanese vessel having been reported at Laysan Island, the revenue cutter Thetis was again dispatched to the island. The commander of the Thetis found, however, that the captain of the vessel, apparently ignorant of the arrest of the Japanese left the year before, had called for them, but had returned to Japan, and that no injury had been done to the birds of the island.

A cooperative arrangement was made with the University of Iowa to send an expedition to Laysan Island, through which conditions on the island might be investigated, temporary warden service established in the breeding season, and specimens of the fauna secured for the Biological Survey and the university. The specimens collected for the university will form the basis of a panoramic exhibit of the bird life of the island. The expedition visited Laysan late in April and remained until about the 1st of June. The bureau's representative notes in his preliminary report a marked decrease in the number

of albatrosses since his visit eight years before, due to the work of the Japanese poachers.

SALT RIVER RESERVATION.-Forest rangers on the Tonto National Forest, Ariz., on which is located the Salt River Reservation, will report two or three times a year on the condition of the band of mountain sheep which ranges in the southern part of the Forest.

KEECHELUS RESERVATION.-The Forest Service will cooperate through its forest rangers in enforcing the laws upon the Keechelus Reservation and four others, which are located in National Forests in the interior of Washington.

NATIONAL BISON RANGE.

Two buffalo calves were born on the National Bison Range, in Montana, in September, 1910, and 19 in the spring of 1911. One male and two female buffalo from the Blue Mountain Forest Park, N. H., were presented by the American Bison Society and placed on the range. As no losses occurred during the year, these additions bring the present total of the herd up to 70. Twelve antelope were transferred from the Yellowstone National Park during the winter, four of which died. Seven elk were transferred from Jackson Hole, Wyo., in the early spring of 1911, all but one arriving in good condition.

ALASKA.

On July 29, 1910, new regulations were issued under the Alaskan game law, mainly to afford additional protection to deer and walrus. The hunting season for deer was shortened, a bag limit of eight was imposed, and the sale of venison was suspended during the year 1911. The walrus season, besides being shortened, was moved forward. Five wardens were employed during the year.

Provision was made by Congress for a larger warden service by means of an increase of $5,000 in the appropriation in the sundry civil bill for warden service in 1912. A special report by the governor on the operation of the game law was published by the Biological Survey as Circular No. 77. Twenty-three permits were issued for collection and export of specimens. The specimens entered comprised one moose, three brown bears, and several packages of birds, eggs, and nests, secured for various museums in the United States and one at Bucharest, Roumania. Under authorization by the governor the following trophies were exported from the Territory: Eleven caribou, 29 moose, 45 mountain sheep, and 31 brown bears.

ELK IN WYOMING.

The appropriation made by Congress for caring for the starving elk in the Jackson Hole region, Wyoming, being immediately available on March 4, Mr. Edward A. Preble, of the Biological Survey, was at once sent to Wyoming to make a thorough examination of the situation. Mr. D. C. Nowlin, recently State game warden, was appointed his assistant. It was found that the State had already purchased all the available hay in Jackson Hole and was feeding as many of the animals as possible. Attention was thereupon turned to other phases of the problem. The conditions causing the lack of food and

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the number of elk that perished were investigated; the possibility of securing hay next year was given special attention; the region was searched for sites available for winter refuges for the elk, and the possibility of transferring a number of elk to other localities was considered. Two small herds were transferred to the National Bison Range in Montana and the Wichita Game Refuge in Oklahoma. Careful attention was given to the feasibility of transferring elk to the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Big Horn Range next winter. In short, the Survey has undertaken a thorough study of the elk problem in all its phases, and a preliminary report will soon be published.

INFORMATION CONCERNING GAME.

Advantage was taken of the presence in northern Michigan of a representative of this bureau to secure information of the comparative abundance of deer now and during the past five years, the relative number of hunters in the woods during the hunting season, methods of hunting, character of the warden service employed, the number of deer shipped, the weight of deer, and the comparative condition of the fur market. In June, 1911, Mr. D. C. Nowlin was employed to obtain definite information concerning the antelope in Idaho and Oregon and to find localities in eastern Oregon suitable for elk. On June 1 Mr. A. C. Cooper visited Texas to report upon the location, size, and condition of the bands of antelope in that State and the present efforts to preserve them. The bureau has secured for the first time statistics of the deer killed in Missouri, Montana, and Wyoming during the hunting season and has made important progress in ascertaining the distribution of big game in the National Forests.

The index of game legislation has made notable progress. The indexing of the laws of Vermont, New Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio was completed during the year, and the bureau now has a full index of game legislation of all the States except five of the New England States, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina.

Data were collected, as usual, concerning the number and details of fatal hunting accidents.

The customary annual game publications were issued, including the directory of game officials and organizations, the compilation of the game laws in force in 1910, and the summary of progress in game protection in 1910.

COOPERATIVE WORK IN GAME PROTECTION.

One of the most important features of the work of the Section of Game Preservation consists of cooperation with State game officials and private organizations in the protection of game. During the past fiscal year the bureau has cooperated with New York, Virginia, and Missouri in checking illegalities under the game laws; with Louisiana, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana in furnishing information needed; with New Jersey and Wisconsin in conducting civil-service examinations for candidates for deputy wardenships; with New Jersey, also, in introducing quail and deer into its game covers; with Wyoming in solving the problem presented by the con

gestion of elk each winter in the Jackson Hole region; with the Boone and Crockett Club in securing antelope for the Wichita Game Preserve and the National Bison Range; with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks in securing elk for the Wichita Game Preserve; with the American Bison Society in locating a suitable site in South Dakota for a new bison range, and with the National Association of Audubon Societies in maintenance of some of the bird reservations.

PLUMAGE.

The Biological Survey has cooperated actively with officials of various States in enforcing the laws prohibiting the sale and possession of certain plumage for millinery. The condition of the plumage traffic of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, and Milwaukee was investigated. It was found that no heron aigrettes were being sold in California, and very few in Utah and Colorado; a few were on sale in St. Louis and Kansas City, which were shortly afterwards seized under the game law; a few in Milwaukee, and many in Chicago. The Shea law, passed by the New York Legislature in 1910, went into operation July 1, 1911, and a similar law passed by the New Jersey Legislature in May, 1911, became effective in August, 1911. Each of these laws prohibits the sale or possession of plumage of birds of the same family as any that are found within the State. The desirability of similar legislation will be brought to public attention in other parts of the United States. Through the State Department statistics of the trade in aigrettes throughout the world have been secured, and the bureau will soon publish this information.

The newly appointed plumage expert of Missouri was given the opportunity to study our collection of birds and to consult our ornithological works. Not only has he thus been enabled to do better official work, but he incidentally brought out certain facts of general interest to ornithologists as well as bird protectors.

INTERSTATE COMMERCE IN GAME.

As heretofore the policy pursued in the enforcement of sections 242, 243, and 244 of the Criminal Code of the United States regulating interstate commerce in game has aimed at prevention of violations rather than prosecution.

At the beginning of the sale season for game the most important game markets of the United States-Philadelphia, Buffalo, Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Chicago were personally inspected by a representative of the bureau and showed fairly general compliance with the law and a notable falling off in the amount of game handled. Investigation of Mississippi County, Ark., an important point of supply, afforded useful knowledge relative to conditions and methods at that point. Evidence of a large number of shipments from Arkansas to St. Louis furnished this bureau by the chief deputy game and fish commissioner of Missouri was carefully reexamined, but failed to disclose any case of sufficient strength to justify prosecution.

It was ascertained that on the coast of Virginia, an important source of supply for the eastern markets, ducks were being netted and

shipped without regard to the State and Federal law. The ten chief offenders were indicted in the United States district court for the eastern district of Virginia. Two were convicted and fined $200 and costs each and the other cases went over to the November term of court.

A number of violations of the interstate law were referred to the State authorities, and in practically all of them convictions were secured and fines imposed ranging from $25 to $50. On information from the New York game officials relative to certain imported foreign game in cold storage in New York City, to be shipped later to Chicago, this bureau informed the Illinois authorities in order that they might take the necessary measures to enforce their laws. Through information given to the authorities of New York concerning certain shipments from other States, an important case of violation of the New York law requiring bonds for stored game was disclosed, and conviction of the offenders with a substantial penalty followed.

OUTLINE OF WORK FOR 1912.

ECONOMIC ORNITHOLOGY AND MAMMALOGY.

Work on the food habits of birds and mammals will be continued, including field observations and the examination of stomachs and tabulation of their contents.

Cooperation with the Forest Service will be continued to devise practical methods of protecting tree seeds and seedlings from the attacks of birds and mammals during the reforesting of treeless areas within our National Forests; also in destroying prairie dogs within the National Forests and contiguous areas. Field observations and experiments will be made to devise methods to prevent attacks on orchard and nursery stock by field mice, pine mice, rabbits, and other injurious rodents.

Cooperation will be continued with the Reclamation Service in protecting dikes and fills from the depredations of burrowing animals. Investigations will be continued to devise methods for preventing the attacks of crawfish on cotton and grain crops in the Southern States.

Field observations will be carried on in Utah and contiguous States to determine the value of birds in checking the spread of the newly imported alfalfa weevil. Investigations into the food of wild ducks and geese will be continued, and a report will be published as soon as possible. Investigations of the food habits of the flycatchers and meadowlarks will be completed and reports published. Study of the food of thrushes and crows will be continued.

Experiments with traps and poisons for the destruction of English sparrows will be carried on.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.

During the coming year work will be continued on the biological surveys of the lower Mississippi Valley States and of Alabama, also of Montana and Idaho. It is expected that the field work of a biological survey of Wyoming will be completed. It is hoped to complete the field work in California so as to permit the publication of a