JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



55 



and perhaps years, if sought for a col- 

 lection. 



The Dusky Duck (Anas obscura) 

 seems to best withstand the persecu- 

 tion. Why, I do not know, unless it 

 is tliat its feeding grounds are not as 

 restricted to certain localities as are 

 the former, thus compelling the gunner 

 to hunt them over a greater area than 

 the others mentioned. 



The Merganser's (americanus and 

 serrator) have not been passed by. 

 Although more plenty than many of 

 our coast and river birds, a few years 

 of observations can but impress the 

 observer with the fact, that they too 

 are fast decreasing. 



Sometime when speaking of the de- 

 crease of ducks, some gunner or 

 sportsman will say "Just go to Merry- 

 meeting Bay and you will not talk 

 that w:iy." They do not stop to think, 

 or will not, that there is only one bay 

 of that name in Maine; or that it can- 

 not (to my knowledge) be duplicated 

 as a feeding ground for ducks in the 

 state. 



Also owing to the location that 

 practically all the ducks that cross 

 the state, stop to feed or rest during 

 migration. 



Not so many years ago, the same 

 species would have been better repre- 

 sented on any feeding grounds in the 

 state according to their size than are 

 they now at Merrymeeting Bay. 



Enact laws to protect all ducks dur- 

 ing spring migration and the breeding 

 season, stop the use of decoys and 

 gunning floats (for a number of years 

 at least) the baiting of ducks in cer- 

 tain places during close time that 

 when open time is on a few favored 

 friends may slaughter all the more, 

 pass such laws and it will not be long 

 before ducks will be seen on feeding 

 grounds long deserted. 



The almost extermination of many 

 species of Limicolae, such as sand- 

 pipers, plover, etc., has been more 

 rapid than of the former order. 



Where a few years ago our beaches 

 and tide flats afforded thousands of 

 the different species, days and days 

 will not now offer many species to the 

 collector. 



It is only a few years since, that the 

 beaches of our coast afforded during 

 September, thousands of Surf Snipe 

 (Calidris arenaria). Flock after flock, 

 each numbering hundreds, could be 

 seen running along the beach at the 

 edge of the surf, searching for food. 

 So plenty were they, that I have known 

 of fifty and even a hundred killed by 

 the single discharge of a gun. Walk 

 aiong the same beaches at the same 

 time of year now, and there will be 

 days and days that not a bird of this 

 species will be seen, and if seen at all 

 it will be in straggling flocks of from 

 a dozen to twenty birds. If a hundred 

 be seen they are thought to be quite 

 plenty. What is said of this species 

 may be said of the others that make 

 up the order Limicolae. 



Owing to the ease with which the 

 smaller species could be approached, 

 and the fact that owing to such flocks 

 they could be shot into at random with 

 a fair chance of getting one; they 

 have been a target for anything in the 

 shape of a human being that could 

 wear a pair of bicycle stockings, and 

 hold a mouthful of peas. 



Of the larger species known as 

 plover, the sportsman and gunner have 

 done their part. As it required some 

 skill and knowledge of the birds to 

 hunt them, the sportsman and gunner 

 is to blame for their almost extermina- 

 tion. 



Many hundreds, and I might say 

 thousands, of the smaller species have 

 been shot for sport, and then thrown 

 on the dump to decay. 



Many of our gull and tern colonies, 

 and also, those of the herons, have 

 been sacrificed for sport, without even 

 the excuse for millinery purposes. 



Thanks to the wise legislation of our 

 3tate, all birds other than game birds, 



