No. 4.] DESTRUCTION OF BIRDS. 483 



the State. Probably the only iinu.sual loss of bird lite in 

 that section was by forest fires.* 



While the average jireeipitation for the month in the 

 south-eastern half of the State nearly equals that in Massa- 

 chusetts, there was no single storm so severe <i;enerally as 

 those in our State. The greatest storm was on the 12tli and 

 IHth. The birds of south-eastern jNlaine were exposed to 

 only one severe storm, wiiik'- those of Massuchusetts sutlered 

 from three. 



Prof. Clarence M. Weed of the New Hampshire College 

 of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, Durham, writes : 

 "In a general way ... I have followed the relation of the 

 weather to the birds, and have become convinced that there 

 was extraordinary suflering and destruction among them. 

 In my neighborhood there was a very remarkable dry spell 

 during April and part of May. This was almost as trying 

 on the birds as the wet weather later in the season. It was 

 l)itiable to see the robins hunting for Avorms over the dry 

 ground, and there was a very unusual scarcity of insects at 

 that time." 



Professor Weed reports that he was told by Col. Richard 

 M. Scanmion, Stratham, N. II., who has been establishing 

 the only colony of purple martins of which he knew in his 

 immediate vicinity, that the Avet weather caused the death 

 of a large part of the young birds. 



Mr. G. W. Lane of Chichester reports that the martins 

 are all dead or have disappeared. 



Mrs. William C. Horton Avrites from Brattleboro, Vt., that 

 a colon}^ of purple martins there, of about thirty liirds, was 

 nearly exterminated; thirty-tAvo young birds and tAvo adults 

 Avere found dead, and the house was deserted. Later a few 



* Since the above was written, Mr. J. Merton Swain of Skowhegan writes 

 that he was " burned out " by one of these lires, which cleared the ground of 

 everything, and must have destroyed many birds' nests. He said the birds there 

 suffered more by drought and fires tlian by storms; and that all the colonies of 

 martins and swallows that came under his observation in Kennebec, Somerset 

 and Piscataqua counties reared their young and left as usual, late in August. 

 He has heard that several colonies died nearer the coast, because of the drought, 

 but these were probably within the storm area. Advices from Orono indicate 

 no unusual mortality among birds there. The precipitation for the month at 

 Orono was only 2.09 inches. 



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