BIRDS OF ESSEX COUNTY. 



69 



they were two centuries past. Some of them, as the Eagle, Crane, and Partridge, 

 have grown scarce. Others, as the Swan and Wild Turkey, have disappeared 

 from this vicinity. In the summer and autumn, Plovers, Curlews, Yellow-legs, 

 Snipes and Sand-pipers, and in winter, Wild Ducks abound. It was anciently 

 the practice for persons in several parts of the colony, to obtain grants of water 

 privileges, and to furnish themselves with suitable gear, for the purpose of tak- 

 ing fowl." 



Blackbirds, Crows, and Blue Jays troubled the thrifty husbandman of this 

 region and sundry laws were enacted from time to time to keep them in check. 

 Thus, in 1734, it was voted in the town of Ipswich, that twelve pence a dozen 

 be paid for the heads of such Blackbirds and Blue Jays as should be killed 

 within the town "upon producing them to the treasurer." In 1827, it was 

 voted that ten cents be paid for every Crow killed within the limits of this 

 place. 1 Similar laws were passed by Lynn 2 and various other towns of the 

 County. The results were not all that could be desired. 3 Thus Allen writes: 

 "The traveller, Kalm, relates that Dr. Franklin told him, in 1750, that in con- 

 sequence of the premiums that had been paid for killing these birds in New 

 England, they had become so nearly extirpated there that they were ' very rarely 

 seen, and in few places only.' In consequence of this exterminating warfare on 

 the 'maize-thieves,' the worms that preyed upon the grass increased so rapidly 

 that in the summer of 1 749 the hay crop was almost wholly cut off by them, the 

 planters being obliged to bring hay from Pennsylvania, and even from England, 

 to Massachusetts, to meet the deficiency caused by the worms." 



There remain a few miscellaneous references to birds, some of which, espe- 

 cially by the imaginative Josselyn, may fairly be put down as apocryphal. The 

 Rev. William Hubbard, 4 minister of Ipswich, wrote as follows, in 1680: "The 

 like may be said of feathered fowl, especially such as live upon the water, which 

 abound as much here as in any other place. The bird of the greatest rarity in 

 this place, if not in the world, is a small one, not exceeding the bigness of a 

 great bee, called Humbirds, from the noise they make with their wings, while 

 they are flying from one flower to another to suck out the honey ; but never set 

 their feet down. Turkies also, and pigeons, (that come in multitudes every sum- 

 mer, almost like the quails that fell round the camp of Israel in the wilderness,) 

 partridges, quails, and all birds of prey, by nature's instinct, or by conduct of 

 Divine Providence, have found the way into these ends of the earth." 



1 J. B. Felt: History of Ipswich, Essex, and Hamilton, p. 49, 1834. 

 a Alonzo Lewis: History of Lynn, p. 144, 1829. 



3 J. A. Allen: Bull. Nuttall Orn. Club, vol. 1, p. 54, 1S76, quoting from Kalm's Travels, For- 

 ster's translation, vol. 2, p. 7S. 



4 Wm. Hubbard: The History of New England from the year 1620 to the year 1680; p. 29 of 

 1S78 reprint. 



