No. 4.] DECREASE OF BIRDS. 475 



eastward, nesting under the eaves of the settlers' buildings) , 

 ended probably about 1850. At that tune these birds had 

 established colonies over a large part of New England, and 

 were very abundant in the farming communities of Massa- 

 chusetts. Soon after the introduction and spread of the 

 English sparrow they began to decrease, and have dimin- 

 ished until their colonies in the eastern part of Massachu- 

 setts are now much fewer than formerly. So many reports 

 have come in of the abandonment of nest sites and so few 

 of the establishment of new colonies that one can only 

 wonder where the birds have gone. 



The reports from Plymouth and Bristol counties seem to 

 show that bank swallows are decreasing, as all observers who 

 report at all. on this species regard it as diminishing. The 

 reports from the other counties are not so definite, except 

 from Essex County, where they are now said to be increasing. 



In my special report published last year the following 

 statement was made : "It has been said that there are no 

 bank swallows in Essex County." * This statement was 

 published on the authority of a friend, who made rather an 

 exhaustive canvass of the county about 1895, and found that 

 the breeding birds had disappeared from all localities where 

 they were formerly known, so far as he could learn. The 

 published statement brought information from three differ- 

 ent parts of the county, showing that bank swallows are 

 still breeding there, and increasing rather than diminishing. 

 While the evidence regarding the entire State seems to indi- 

 cate a rather general decrease of these birds, it is not so 

 convincing as in the case of either the barn or cliff swallows. 

 In looking over all the evidence, it seems as if these two 

 species have decreased most in the eastern part of the State, 

 while the purple martin has, up to 1903, decreased most in 

 the western counties. On the whole, the evidence of com- 

 petent observers agrees with my own observation, which 

 indicates that breeding swallows have been diminishing 

 gradually for thirty years, although they still hold their 

 own in many localities. 



The only other .significant or progressive decrease of a 



* "Agriculture of Massachusetts," 1903, p. 479. 



