OUR COMMON BIRDS 



311 



past fifteen years our birds have decreased 46 per cent in 

 thirty states and territories. For each of the states named 

 this decrease has been as stated in the margin. Three 

 states — North Carolina, Oregon, and California — show 

 neither increase nor decrease ; and only four states — 

 Kansas, Wyoming, Wash- 

 ington, and Utah — have Nel" Hampshire '. '. ■ ■ ". : ■ '. af" 

 had an increase of bird life, ^f'''^^"' ^o 



Alassacnusetts 27 



It would be a worthy am- ^^^^^ i.^'^nd 60 



Connecticut 75 



bition to infuse into our New York 48 



, 1 , . New Jersey 37 



school system, reachmg, as Pennsylvania 51 



it does, the life and heart indLia ........... lo 



of every child, the purpose Mkw V 2^ 



to change this destructive Wisconsin 40 



Iowa 37 



process to one of increase Missouri 36 



Nebraska lo 



m every county, farm, and North Dakota 58 



1 ^ r .1 1 1 District of Columbia ?? 



City lot of the land. south Carolina 32 



Climatic influences are ^^'i^'^ ^s 



r londa 77 



severe in this country. Mississippi 37 



^ Louisiana 55 



Great numbers of birds are Arkansas 50 



killed in heavy rain and Indian Territory ! ....... js 



hailstorms. Whole species Colorado . '. '. '. . . . . . '. II 



are decimated in sleet and ^"^f " ^° 



Average 46 



snowstorms within the 



range of their southern migrations. Thus our bluebirds 

 were killed off in 1895, and fearful havoc was wrought 

 in a number of our most valuable species in the Southern 

 States during the winter of 1 898-1899. With these ele- 

 ments it is difficult to contend. To what extent man is 

 responsible by reason of clearing out natural shelter and 

 destroying natural food supplies it is impossible to say. 



