ARE THE BIRDS DECREASING 3 



country is settled, or when the population increases in 

 an old country. The gallinaceous game birds, like 

 grouse, partridge, and quail, should net decrease in a 

 farming district, unless they are hunted during the 

 closed season, or hunted too much during the open sea- 

 son. 1 It is quite likely that want of water may also 

 cause a scarcity of these birds. 



Admitting that a general decrease in game birds was 

 to be expected under the game laws as they have been 

 enacted and enforced in these states, it is a deplorable 

 fact that the song birds have also greatly decreased. 



For Minnesota I make the following estimate based 

 on my own observations and on that of others : Cat- 

 birds, brown thrushes, meadow larks, kingbirds, rose- 

 breasted grosbeaks, swallows, swifts, red-headed wood- 

 peckers, blue jays, and quails have increased. This 

 increase is particularly noticeable in the case of the last 

 six. In the spring of 1898, I often heard two rose- 

 breasted grosbeaks sing near the corner of Seventh 

 Street and Maria Avenue, St. Paul, where an electric car 

 passes at least every three minutes. Pinnated grouse, 

 or prairie-chickens, and partridges have decreased. 



Ducks in general have decreased on account of the 

 drying up and draining of sloughs and swamps, and on 

 account of excessive shooting, especially on account of 

 shooting in the spring. Wood ducks, red-heads, mer- 

 gansers, and canvas-back have decreased 50 per cent, all 

 on account of much hunting. Green-winged teal, mal- 



1 The closed season is the time during which hunting or fishing is 

 prohibited by law. In the open season fishing and hunting are legal. 



