45() BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



were very common migrants ; now they are seldom seen. 

 In 1878 I found them abundant in Florida; in 1899 I did 

 not see a single bird there, though it was a good season for 

 ducks of all kinds. They are now the object of special per- 

 secution, and have been for twenty years or more. Their 

 price in the market has quadrupled. Unless something effec- 

 tive is done for their protection, they are likely to follow the 

 species already extirpated. The scoters or surf ducks, called 

 coots by the gunners, although perhaps decreasing slightly, 

 appear to be nearly as abundant as they hav^ been within 

 the memory of people now living. Mr. Gerry says they 

 are nearly as plentiful as ever along the coast ; Mr. Mackay 

 has studied the sea birds, wild-fowl and shore birds for 

 many years. He has visited the Boston markets at least 

 twice each week during the season, and carefully noted what 

 birds were on sale there. He has spent much time on Nan- 

 tucket and the adjacent islands, both in the shooting and 

 breeding seasons. His opinion on this subject is therefore 

 of the greatest value. He sa^^s that surf ducks and eider 

 ducks seem to hold their own generally, especially about 

 Nantucket. He believes the white-winged scoter has dimin- 

 ished very little. The American scoter he has never known 

 to be plentiful, but apparently it has decreased to some extent. 



The old squaw is still very common, and no decrease is 

 noted by any one. Mr. Mackay regards it as very abun- 

 dant. The bufflehead is still common along the coast, but 

 has been driven out to some extent from many ponds and 

 rivers in the interior, where it is not so common as formerly 

 in the migrations. The golden-eye or whistler is also still 

 common on the coast. 



The greater scaup duck, blackhead or bluebill was once very 

 abundant in Massachusetts waters. The scaup decreased 

 rapidly off the Massachusetts coast, until they Ijecame rather 

 rare a few years ago. Mr. Mackay, however, says they are 

 now becoming common at Nantucket, and Mr. Hoffman rates 

 them as common migrants.* 



The lesser scaup, raft duck, little blackhead, or bluebill, 



* "A guide to the bii-ds of New England and New York," Ral^jh Hoffman, 

 p. 299. 



