Page 412 - Our Vanishing Wild Life

390 OUR VANISHING WILD LIFE
The Museum of Comparative Zoology has at last made a begin- ninginthefieldofprotection. Lastwinter,whilethegreatbattleraged over the Wharton no-sale-of-game bill, several members of the Museum staff appeared at the hearings and otherwise worked for the success of the measure. Itwasmosttimelyaid,—andverymuchneeded. Itistobe hoped that that auspicious beginning will be continued from year to year. The Museum should keep at least one good fighter constantly in the field.
The Boston Society of Natural History takes a very active part in promoting the preservation of the fauna of Massachusetts, and in resisting the attempts of the destroyers to repeal the excellent laws now in force. Its members put forth vigorous efforts in the great cam- paign of 1912.
The Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences is well represented in the field of protection by Director Franklin W. Hooper, now president of the American Bison Society, and an earnest promoter of the per- petuationofthebison. WhentheWindCaveNationalBisonHerdis fully established, in South Dakota, as it practically is already, the chief credit for that coup will be due to the unflagging energy and persistence of Professor Hooper.
The Buffalo Academy of Sciences in 1911 entered actively and effectively, under the leadership of Dr. Lee H. Smith, into the campaign for the Bayne bill. Besides splendid service rendered in western New York, Dr. Smith appeared in Albany with a strong delegation in support of the bill.
The University of California was the first institution of learning to enter the field of wild-life protection for active, aggressive and perma- nentwork. W.L.TaylorandJosephGrinnell,oftheUniversityMuseum, have taken up the fight to save the fauna of California from the dangers that now threaten it.
At this point our enumeration of the activities of American zoological institutionscomestoanunfortunateend. Therearemanyindividuals to be named elsewhere, in the roll of honor, but that is another story. I am now going to set before the public the names of certain institutions largely devoted to zoology and permeated by zoologists, which thus far seem to have entirely ignored the needs of our fauna, and which so far we know have contributed neither men, money nor encouragement to the Army of the Defense.
Partial List of Institutions Owing Service to Wild Life.
The United States National Museum contains a large and expensive corps of zoological curators and assistant curators, some of whom long ago should have taken upon themselves the task of reforming the laws of the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland, at their very doors This museum should maintain at least one man in the field of protection, and the existence of the Biological Survey is no excuse for the Museum's inactivity.
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