No. 4.] REPORT OF STATE ORNITHOLOGIST. 89 



Dr. B. H. Warren, curator of the Everliart Museum, recently 

 has conducted a campaign against the natural enemies of birds 

 on Wallops Island, Virginia. The island contains about 6,000 

 acres. All the house cats on the island were killed. About 

 75 crows' nests were destroyed in 1912 and 27 in 1914. Prac- 

 tically all the crows nesting there were killed, including the 

 destructive fish crows. Ninety-seven black snakes were de- 

 stroyed at one time. This has resulted, says Dr. Warren, in 

 a great increase of ground-nesting birds, particularly bobwhites, 

 rails and meadow larks. Gulls, terns and black skimmers which 

 have not nested there for years have come back to breed. In 

 1914 about 135 nesting boxes were put up. In the Scranton 

 (Pennsylvania) "Times" Dr. Warren asserts that fully 90 per 

 cent of them were occupied in 1915 by tree swallows, martins, 

 wrens, flickers and great cre^ed flycatchers. (There are no 

 bluebirds or chickadees summering there.) It is noteworthy 

 that since their natural enemies have been reduced in numbers, 

 even the tree swallows occupy nesting boxes in the woods. 

 Not only have small birds greatly increased, but there has been 

 a great accession to the numbers of ducks, rails, etc., breeding 

 on the island. At least 50 species have been noted as breeding 

 there during the past two years. This remarkable showing, 

 doubtless, is due mainly to the destruction of the birds' 

 enemies, the plethora of artificial nesting places, and the fact 

 that there are no squirrels, weasels or climbing mice on the 

 island. No von Berlepsch nesting boxes are used. All that 

 were put up were made of boards by Dr. Warren. 



Where the natural enemies of small birds are carefully pro- 

 tected and fostered, as in many localities in eastern Massachu- 

 setts, it is important that nesting boxes be so constructed that 

 they may be opened by one motion of the hand, without the use 

 of tools; the employment of screws, nuts or other appliances 

 to fasten the covers requires time and implements. Success 

 in securing desirable tenants may depend mainly on the exam- 

 ination of the nesting boxes at least once or twice a month in 

 May and June, and the eviction of undesirable tenants. Unless 

 the boxes are easily accessible and can be opened without loss 

 of time it may consume a day to examine a hundred. These 



