Report of Field Agents 299 



Conticclicut has fullowecl ihe lea'l of Massachusetts in cstabhshini^ the oftice 

 of State Ornithologist. A law passed during the last session of the legislaUire 

 places the otftce under the control of the Connecticut Agricultural College. 



Your agent made a trip to Washington during the winter, as Chairman of the 

 National Association Committee for the Protection of Birds, which cooperates 

 with the National Conservation Commission. At this time he attended the North 

 American Conservation Conference, for the purpose of requesting the Mexican 

 delegates to take up the question of the protection of migratory birds', etc., in 

 Mexican territory. This the chairman of the delegation agreed to do, with Dr. 

 T. S. Palmer, our \'ice-President, and we hope to see better bird legislation in 

 Mexico. 



BIRD RESERVATIONS 



The important problem of providing refuges for birds is now being taken 

 up by the state authorities in New England. Connecticut this year passed a law 

 giving its Fish and Game Commissioners greater freedom in regard to game pre- 

 serves. Massachusetts has made all public lands bird and game reservations 

 by legislative enactment. This will include not only the thousands of acres 

 now in public parks, forest parks and public grounds, but also the forest lands 

 coming into the control of the State Forester under the laws enacted last year. 



Game reserves are being set aside also by private enterprise. Some of these 

 are maintained for the benefit of the owners, but others are intended for the bene- 

 fit of the public. Within the year, a large reservation of thousands of acres has 

 been obtained by an Association in Plymouth county, Massachusetts, for the 

 purpose of propagating game, birds and fish. Other undertakings of a similar 

 character are purposed by the Fish and Game Commissions of other states, 

 or by organizations for the protection of birds and game. 



In July, your agent visited for a few days the bird reservations in Duke's 

 county, Massachusetts. Here the Fish and Game Commissioners of the state 

 have now more than 2,000 acres under their control. The Pinnated Grouse, or 

 Heath Hen, has nearly doubled in numbers there since the work of protecting 

 them on this tract was begun two years ago. The birds were seriously threatened 

 by fire, in the nesting season; but the fire was stopped near the boundaries of 

 the reservation, and did very little, if any, injury to the birds. Broods of young 

 birds have been seen, and the probability is that there will be a good increase 

 there this year. Dr. Field, Chairman of the Commission, however, believes that 

 there is an excess of male birds among the adults, and this, if true, will tend to 

 check the increase. 



The colonies of Least Terns, on which ateport was made last year, seem to be 

 holding their own on ^lartha's Vineyard; and, from all the reports received, 

 the Common and Roseate Terns and Laughing Gulls breeding on the islands 

 off the southeastern coast of Massachusetts are doing well. During this trip, 

 an example of the value of protecting wild-fowl in spring was seen. A gentleman 



