8 WyomInc BIrbs. 
Nebraska line in the summer of 1890. They have grad- 
ually worked up the valley until they have reached the 
vicinity of Guernsey. ‘They have also worked up the Lar- 
amie River to the neighborhood of Uva. They are not and 
have not been numerous, being pioneers, as it were. Dur- 
ing the winter of 1908-9 a covey of twenty-two frequented 
my yard here and fed with my chickens. On last Friday 
morning, June 14, I heard two Bobwhites on my meadow 
at Gray Rocks, on the Laramie River, ten miles west of 
here. Occasional coveys are to be seen or heard along the 
valleys of both rivers as far as I have indicated. The quail 
evidently followed the course of the Platte Valley from 
Nebraska, and they are gradually working farther up the 
tributaries of the Platte as fast as the grain belt advances. 
I believe the cultivation of the soil to grains of various 
kinds is the only thing which has induced them to migrate 
west.” 
We, therefore, feel justified in concluding that the 
changed conditions in the state in respect to increased 
raising of grain, tree planting, and the irrigation of large 
tracts have been the direct cause of the increase in the num- 
ber of birds, an increase which has been so marked that 
residents of the state in general have noticed and com- 
mented upon it. 
Although many birds are steadily increasing in numbers, 
it seems likely that game birds are decreasing, owing to 
excessive hunting. It is rather difficult to judge of the 
relative numbers of certain game birds as compared with 
former years, because they do not nest in the state. ‘They 
may seem to vary from year to year, possibly taking dif- 
ferent routes in migration. Collectors as a rule report sev- 
eral species of duck less numerous than in years past. In 
fact, 1t is generally recognized that they are decreasing in 
