N PRESENTING what is probably the last of the series of enlarged and color-illustrated reports of the Forest, Fish and Game Commission, it seems permissible to call attention to the record which these volumes have made. The series was begun with the amplified report for the year 1895, in the belief that in this way better than any other the valuable work which the Commission is doing could be brought to the attention of the public. Results have shown that this belief was correct.

From the very first issue the books have been immensely popular. Not only have they commended themselves to residents of New York State, but they have been instrumental in causing other states to issue similar volumes, and they have been sought eagerly by students of the subjects on which they treat. Requests for copies have come in great numbers from abroad, and as an instance of the value set upon them, it may be mentioned that the Imperial Library of Japan has among its most valued possessions a complete set from 1895 to the present time.

That these reports with their wealth of illustration and the valuable special articles which they have contained have brought credit to the State, as well as to the Commission, may readily be conceded. Scarcely a day passes but there is a demand from some other state for a copy or

copies of preceding issues. The prominence which the volumes have secured has made it possible for the Commission to procure from experts on the subjects of which they treat, articles to be found in no other publication extant. In this way very valuable work has been done for the forests, the fish and the game of the State. The colored plates thus far printed were collected in a portfolio as a supplement to the issue for 1901, to meet a popular demand from nature study teachers in the schools, and from sportsmen who knew the value of these illustrations and wished to use the plates either for purposes of study or for illustration. One great railroad system so valued these plates that it had them framed in an expensive manner and placed in its depot. An enthusiastic advocate of nature study in the public schools also had a set framed for use in a school room in a village in which he was interested.

From the first issue to that for 1901 inclusive, these enlarged reports were issued annually. While their cost had not been more than would naturally be expected for elaborate works of this kind, it was at that time decided to combine several years in one volume thereafter, and the reports for 1902 and 1903 next appeared in one volume, thus practically cutting the cost of publication in two. A further reduction of expenses being still considered desirable, the next issue contained the reports for the years 1904-5-6, thus reducing the expense of publication still further, and this form has been continued up to the present time.

The condensation of several years in one volume did not in any way lessen the popularity of the work, as the increased demand for each issue has shown. The wealth of illustration was still kept up, but it became necessary to some extent to reduce the amount of special matter included. The work of the Commission, has, however, grown so rapidly, and the quality of the matter included in the reports made by those in charge of the work of conserving the forests, the fish and the game under the direction of the Commissioner has become so valuable, that no complaint has arisen from this cause. Undoubtedly the cessation of the work of presenting the

annual reports in the amplified form will cause deep regret among all those interested in the matters committed to the Forest, Fish and Game Commission. It is generally conceded by teachers as well as students the world over that there is no better way to impress a subject upon the public mind than through the medium of good pictures. In this particular the amplified reports have excelled from the beginning, and their accustomed appearance, even in the combination form, undoubtedly will be missed by those who have come to appreciate them at their true value.

THE COMMISSIONER.