446 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Hampden Count ij. — Mr. Robert O. Morris of Spring- 

 field says tliat, generally, birds are not decreasing in his 

 vicinity. He speaks of a decrease in owls, hawks and 

 herons. Mr. F. H. Scott of Westfield thinks birds are not 

 decreasing there. " Some years ago a scarcity of some of 

 the smaller birds was apparent ; recently there has been an 

 increase among many." 



Ber-h^hire County. — Mr. J. M. Van Huyek of Lee thinks 

 birds are decreasing, but the decrease is assigned mainly to 

 the larger species ; the smaller species seemingly are on the 

 increase. Hawks, owls, eagles, game birds and herons have 

 decreased nmch, according to his observations. 



On the whole, the above-mentioned observers apparently 

 have not seen a great decrease in the numbers of the smaller 

 birds except in the case of a few species ; but the older 

 observers record a considerable diminution within forty 

 to sixty years among game birds, Avater-fowl and shore 

 birds. 



My own experience as a resident of the suburbs of 

 Worcester and Boston, if taken alone, might lead me to 

 believe that the smaller native birds have fallen ofi" much 

 Avithin the last thirty years throughout the State, as they 

 certainly have in those cities ; but in many of the country 

 districts I find the majority of the smaller species still in 

 nearly the same numbers as thirty years ago. I do not find 

 small birds as numerous in Plymouth and Bristol counties, 

 or in sections of Middlesex County, as they were in Worces- 

 ter County thirty years ago. The fertile soil of Worcester, 

 one of the richest agricultural counties in the world, sup- 

 ports more birds to the acre than the sandy soil of Plymouth 

 and Bristol counties, or the gravelly hills of some parts of 

 Middlesex. The large number of cities in eastern Massa- 

 chusetts, with their ever-increasing population flooding the 

 surrounding country, must have had a seriously restrictive 

 effect on the bird-life of this section. No one will question 

 the fact that the sum of bird-life must have been somewhat 

 reduced in this region by the growth and expansion of the 

 cities, and the destructive atid repellent forces which radiate 

 from them into the surrounding country ; but, outside of a 



