CHAPTER IX 



THE INCREASE AND DECREASE 

 OF BIRDS 



ONE of the great questions in the bird- 

 world is: are birds increasing or de- 

 creasing in numbers? There is no 

 doubt that some are rapidly becoming 

 extinct, whereas those birds which adapt 

 themselves to civilization are becoming 

 more numerous. In the following para- 

 graphs I have taken up the question as to 

 whether, from my observations, I think 

 the different species of birds are be- 

 coming scarcer or more abundant in the 

 Somerset Hills, in the northern central 

 part of New Jersey. 



The following are rapidly increasing: 

 Turkey Vultures, Starlings (a few seen 



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