PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 25. 75 



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provide mounted game warden service to prevent violation of 

 the game laws; to guard against forest fires; to construct and 

 maintain fire stops; to furnish food in inclement weather; and 

 to kill feral cats and other vermin which prey upon the birds. 

 Through the co-operation of the towns of Tisbury and West 

 Tisbury, the National and the Massachusetts Audubon So- 

 cieties, the Middlesex Sportsmen's Association and about 

 twenty-five private individuals nearly $2,000 was pledged to 

 purchase land and to assist in this work. 



In 1880 Mr. Brewster, who distinguished this bird from the 

 western type, estimated that from 120 to 200 birds inhabited 

 about 40 square miles on Martha's Vineyard. As is well known, 

 these birds resort to special places in the spring for their court- 

 ship. These particular places on Martha's Vineyard were as- 

 certained, and on May 1, 1906, a careful simultaneous observa- 

 tion at these three places disclosed but 21 birds, so near at 

 that time was the species to extirpation. In May, 1907, actual 

 count of the flocks definitely located in various sections of the 

 range gave 77 different individuals. 



Since 1907 the number of birds has varied from time to time, 

 but in general there is a decidedly upw r ard tendency, so that at 

 present there are probably as many as 1,000 birds on the island. 

 It was possible last spring to see 150 birds at once, and flocks 

 of from 30 to 50 are frequently observed. 



The chief enemy of the heath hen on Martha's Vineyard is 

 the marsh hawk, possibly associated with the fact that the 

 island is closely covered with a dense growth of scrub oak and 

 other brush, making mice difficult to capture. The marsh 

 hawks have thus been compelled to turn to more available prey, 

 and the extensive destruction of these birds is merely the 

 result of a perverted appetite. Investigation of 43 stomachs 

 of marsh hawks by the United States Biological Survey dis- 

 closed the important fact that all but 4 contained remains of 

 heath hens or song birds. In one instance the nest of a marsh 

 hawk contained the remains of 1 flicker and 11 heath hen 

 chickens. Telephone wires have been responsible for the 

 destruction of several heath hens, 3 birds thus killed or in- 

 jured having been found in the past year; but one of its greatest 

 enemies is the domestic cat, which, abandoned by the summer 

 cottagers, wanders into the interior of the island. 



