214 Game Survey of the North Central States 



Sangamon River, and wagered to kill 100 straight in a day on this area. There 

 were no takers. He says: "Our bag was seldom as small as 75 couple at the right 

 time . . . Snipe are vastly more abundant in the West . . . than in the 

 East." 



Kumlien and Hollister (1903) say of the jacksnipe: ". . . still common 

 . . . (but) ... we should be at a loss to express its numbers in former 

 years." This refers especially to Walworth County, Wisconsin, where Kumlien 

 began his observations about 1868. 



That there has been a strong downward trend in jacksnipe is known to all. 



Chart 13 shows evidence of a sharp recent decline, possibly temporary, 

 gathered by Leopold and Schorger in Dane County, Wisconsin. The four graphs 

 (A, B, C, and D) represent counts of the jacksnipe seen and killed by them during 

 weekly hunts from 1919 to 1929. The detailed methods of analysis are described 

 in the Wilson Bulletin for September, 1930. 



All four graphs show a visible downward trend. 



A written journal recording jacksnipe killed, kept by Donal H. Haines, of 

 Ann Arbor, Michigan, was compared with Chart 13, and found to coincide with 

 it to a considerable extent as to which years were high and which low. 



Twelve jacksnipe hunters in Wisconsin were also asked to give a general 

 opinion on recent trend. Five thought there had been no perceptible change; six 

 thought there had been a decline; one thought the recent flights had been more 

 sporadic than formerly. 



The authors conclude: 



(1) That the jacksnipe in the region of Dane County, Wisconsin, has de- 

 creased perhaps 50 per cent since 1924. 



(2) That this may be due to their passing over or around the region, or to a 

 temporary abundance cycle, or to an actual decrease in the available supply. 



(3) That the only reason for doubting an actual decrease in the available 

 supply would be positive evidence that they increased or held their own in the 

 rest of the Mississippi Valley. 



The possible causes of the decrease are a matter of conjecture. One likely 

 cause is the shrinkage in southern breeding ranges, which were possibly the most 

 productive. Bogardus says that jacksnipe formerly bred as far south as the 

 Calumet River and the great Winnebago Swamp in Illinois, whereas Schorger is 

 in doubt whether they still breed in Dane County. The twelve snipe hunters 

 whom I questioned concerning the status of jacksnipe elsewhere in Wisconsin re- 

 ported their breding in Sheboygan, Winnebago, Rusk, and Sawyer Counties. The 

 nost southerly of these is Sheboygan. From this, their present known southerly 

 imit, to the Calumet River in Illinois, their probable southerly limit in 1874, is 

 120 miles. 



Since the publication of this paper, a decided improvement was noted in the 

 1930 flight in Dane County, as compared with any year since 1924. It may not 

 be altogether fantastic to point out that the decline from 192429, and the upward 



