212 ' BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. IPub. Doc. 



The Result of prohibiting Spring Shooting. 



The law prohibiting all shooting of wild fowl from Jan\i- 

 arv 1 to September 15, which the State Ornithologist has 

 advocated for years and which was passed in 1909, has shown 

 almost immediate results. Not only have large numbers of 

 wild fowl remained along our coast during the entire winter 

 for the last two seasons, but many have stayed through 

 the summer. ]\[any wood ducks and black ducks, and a few 

 sheldrakes are now breeding in various parts of the State. 

 Probably more wood ducks were seen in one locality last 

 autumn in ]\Iassachusetts than have been seen in any New 

 England State for several years. Where the rivers and ponds 

 are open in winter black ducks and sheldrakes remain in 

 considerable numbers. Reports of an increase in the number 

 of wild fowl have come in from many parts of the State. 

 And notwithstanding the fact that the autumns of the past 

 few years have been very dry, and for this reason unfavorable 

 for wild fowl in the interior of the State, large numbers of 

 wild ducks have been seen and many more killed than usual. 

 In many cases the records of years have been broken. In the 

 fall of 1910 one man in Worcester County is said to have 

 killed more ducks than any one has taken in that region 

 within the memory of the oldest inhabitant, and great num- 

 bers of ducks and geese have been killed on the coast and on 

 the island of Marthas Vineyard. The " Boston Globe " Xov. 

 22, 1911, stated that for the past two days there had been a 

 great flight of wild geese, and that the .shooting stands on the 

 shore and at the ponds had bagged large numbers. When 

 the law prohibiting spring shooting was passed, many of the 

 gunners of Marthas Vineyard claimed that they would never 

 have an opportunity to shoot another goose, but the " Globe " 

 states that the gunners who have gone to Martinis \''ineyard 

 report the birds in large numbers, and that some of the sports- 

 men have had unusually good luck ; also that the gunners on 

 Marthas Vineyard and Nantuckc^t have had excellent duck 

 shooting. One man on Marthas Vineyard wrote mo early in 



