444 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



hawks are a good deal reduced." Dr. Charles W. Town- 

 send, from twenty-eight years' experience, mainly in two 

 towns in Essex County, concludes that shore birds have 

 decreased considerably ; but, notwithstanding smaller birds 

 have decreased about the cities, they are holding their own 

 very well in the country. 



Middlesex County. — Mr. C. J. Maynard of Newtonville, 

 a field naturalist of many years' experience, says: "Many 

 species have decreased at least one-half. Some hold their 

 own. A few have considerably increased. Excepting in a 

 few species, I do not see much decrease in the last ten 

 years. Swallows are going fast." Mr. Ralph Hoifman of 

 Belmont writes : " The larger birds (hawks, herons, grouse) 

 are decreasing; the smaller birds are about the same. 

 Grouse no longer occur." Mr. Philip T. Coolidge of 

 "Watertown writes : "Some species are decreasing. Fully 

 three-fourths as many birds as ten years ago. Bob-whites, 

 hawks, the larger owls, ducks, shore birds, gulls and terns 

 suffer much from shooting." Mr. E. F. Holden of Melrose 

 says : " Birds have decreased within ten years, also within 

 two years ; perhaps three-fourths as many as ten years ago, 

 possibly less." Mr. William Brewster of Cambridge and 

 Concord, the leading ornithologist of New England, who 

 has been afield much for the past forty years, says : " Birds 

 do not appear to be decreasing generally, but there has 

 been a decrease among swallows, martins, nighthawks, game 

 birds, birds of prey, certain water-fowl and waders. I 

 should say that the decrease in woodcock, partridges, 

 wood ducks, certain other of the ducks and many of the 

 waders (plover, sandpipers, etc.) had been continuing ever 

 since I can remember, or upwards of forty years." Mr. C. 

 E. Bailey of North Billerica says that birds are much re- 

 duced in numbers in his locality. Miss Elizabeth S. Hill 

 of Groton, who has kept a careful annual record, says that 

 some birds are increasing and some decreasing, l)ut that for 

 the past ten years the per cent of increase is the larger. 

 Her list shows that the principal decrease is found among 

 the herons, ducks and birds of prey ; the increase is mainly 

 among the smaller species. 



