ECONOMIC VALUE OF OUR BIRDS 65 



only as a straggler. The golden plover, once exceedingly 

 abundant east of the Great Plains, is now rare. Vast hordes of 

 long-billed dowitchers formerly wintered in Louisiana; now 

 they occur only in infrequent flocks of only a half dozen or 

 less. The Eskimo curlew within the last decade has probably 

 been exterminated, and the other curlews have been greatly 

 reduced. In fact, all the larger species of shore-birds have 

 suffered severely. So adverse to shore-birds are present con- 

 ditions, the wonder is that any escape! In both fall and 

 spring they are shot along the whole route of their migration, 

 north and south. Their habit of decoying readily and per- 

 sistently, coming back in flocks to the decoys again and again, 

 in spite of murderous volleys, greatly lessens their chances of 

 escape. . . . Shore-birds have been hunted until only a 

 remnant of their once vast numbers is left. Their limited 

 powers of reproduction, coupled with the natural vicissitudes 

 of the breeding period, make their increase slow, and peculiarly 

 expose them to danger of extermination. 



In the struggle that was made for the passage of 

 the federal migratory bird law, the claims of the 

 shore-birds, and the interests benefited by them, 

 were strongly set forth. A demand was registered 

 for a five-year close season on all species of shore- 

 birds inhabiting or passing through the United 

 States. This demand was redoubled after the 

 enactment of the law, and while the detailed regu- 

 lations were being framed. By strongly insisting 

 upon the giving of the whole loaf, fifty- four out of 

 our sixty species of shore-birds actually did secure 

 the five-year period of protection that was de- 

 manded. The species left open to slaughter were 

 the woodcock, jack-snipe, greater and lesser yellow- 



