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              "              OXFORD    UNIVERSITY 
              DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY AND COMPARATIVE ANATOMY 
 
                                                               Addre-s: UNIVERSITY
MUSEUM 
                                                                     OXFORD

BUREAU OF ANIMAL POPULATION             12th June, 19355.      TekAoe: OXFORD
4261 
                                                               TdegraV$S:
MUS. OXFORD 
 
 
           Jay N. Darling Esq., 
           Chief, Bureau of Biological Survey, 
           United States Department of Agriculture, 
           Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 
 
           Your ref: BI-M. 
 
                             SNOWSHOE RABBIT ENQUIRY. 
 
           Dear Sir, 
 
                We have for several years carried out a large-scale enquiry

            into the cycles in numbers of snowshoe rabbits that are a well-

            known feature of wild life in North America.   In this enquiry
you 
            have been good enough to assist us by obtaining information through

            the Alaska Game Commission, whose reports for 1933-34 were incor-

            porated into our latest maps. 
 
                 The importance of the snwshoe rabbit as a fur-bearer and
as a 
            food of other furbearers, and also in relation to forest damage
just- 
            ifies a determined attempt to f613ow movements in the whole of
its 
            population.   Furthermore, it forms an index of a remarkable
ten-year 
            wild life cycle which operates over the whole of the country
between 
            Alaska to Newfoundland and from the tree-limit south to an unknown

            distance into the United States.   Grouse of various species
fluctuate 
            parallel to the rabbits. The probable presence at the back of
the 
            cycle of some widespread climatic factor not yet elucidated,
is an 
            additional argument for a careful and long term study of the
problem. 
 
                We already receive regular reports from Alaska, most of Canada,

            and Newfoundland, but none from the United States.   A picked
body of 
            men such as your Game Protectors would, I believe, be able to
obtain 
            information about the snowshoe rabbit with comparatively little

            difficulty, from their own experience and through their Game
Wardens. 
            It may be, however, that you already have enquiries on foot,
in which 
            case I should like to suggest that we could work along some agreed

            lines to make the results comparable.   If not, would you consider

            organizing a questionnaire enquiry and sending us the results
for 
            incorporation into a complete annual map of snowshoe rabbit fluctuat-

            ions in North America? 
 
                 I can guarantee that results will be promptly mapped, and
pub- 
            lished with full acknowledgements, and that copies of detailed
maps