250 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



of some purely insectivorous species perished from lack of 

 food and from exposure. 



The ensuing years have been marked by some bad storms 

 and late frosts ; but most of the decimated species soon re- 

 covered their numbers, except the ruffed grouse (Bonasa um- 

 hellus), bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) , rails (Porzana Caro- 

 lina and Rallus virginianus), marsh wrens (Tehnatodytes 

 palustris), swallows {Iridoprocne hlcolor and Tlirundo ery- 

 throgaster) , chinmey swifts (Chcetura pelagica) and martins 

 (Progne suhis). 



The purple martins of Massachusetts were the greatest 

 suflFerers from the storms of 1903, which almost exterminated 

 them, and the bobwhite suffered most from the severity of 

 the succeeding winter. Probably more than 90 per cent, of 

 these birds in the State were destroyed during that season. 

 The increase of Virginia rails and sora rails has been very 

 slow, and even now they and the marsh wrens are not much 

 in evidence in some of the meadows where they were common 

 in the spring of 1903. 



Partial Becovcry of ilic Game Birds. 

 The ruffed grouse increased somewhat in numbers during 

 the seasons of 1901, 1905 and 190G, but during the winter of 

 1906-07 large numbers of goshawks appeared and killed 

 many grouse. The breeding season of 1907 was cold and 

 wet ; the eggs did not hatch well ; disease appeared among the 

 young broods in some localities, and in some cases among the 

 adults. In some j^laccs wood ticks were prevalent, and in 

 the fall of that j^ear grouse were unusually scarce in Xew 

 England, the other northeastern States and the eastern 

 Provinces of Canada. The seasons of 1908 and 1909 have 

 been more favorable, however, and grouse have increased 

 in some sections. Two winters since that of 1903-04 have 

 been unfavorable for the bobwhite, and the species has in- 

 creased very slowly, except in the southeastern portions of 

 the State, where the winters are not usually so severe as else- 

 whore. There are now large areas in the Commonwealth 

 from which the liobwhite has lu'cn extirpated. It is very 

 difficult to secure this bird from other States for stocking 



