No. 4.] REPORT OF STATE ORNITHOLOGIST. 399 



of the United States, if Congress can be prevailed upon to ap- 

 propriate money enough to enforce it, and if a treaty with Great 

 Britain can be made extending similar provisions throughout 

 Canada, there need be no anxiety felt for the future of Ameri- 

 can wild fowl. Even then, however, we cannot expect a very 

 great and permanent increase of these birds. There are mil- 

 lions of gunners in the United States and Canada. Many low- 

 lands, swamps and marshes in which these birds now breed will 

 be drained sooner or later and used for agricultural purposes, 

 and eventually artificial propagation will probably have to be 

 resorted to to maintain the stock. In a recent bulletin of the 

 American Game Protective Association (Vol. 2, JSTo. 6, October 

 15, 1914), Delmar C. Speenburgh, a Federal inspector under 

 the new law, says that it has produced results already far supe- 

 rior to any other protective legislation, especially in regard to 

 the increased number of breeding ducks in the States within his 

 jurisdiction. He asserts that Chief Protector Stratton of the 

 Fish and Game Commission of New Jersey has received reports 

 from all sections of the State that black ducks had nested and 

 were quite numerous in the marshes. Mr. Speenburgh traveled 

 along the coast from Barnegat to Cape May, stopping at the bays 

 and marshes and talking with gunners and sportsmen. He 

 found many ducks there, and in talking with many who had, 

 opposed the law he found that they were compelled to admit that 

 the elimination of spring shooting was best, as it had shown 

 them that the ducks, if unmolested, would remain to breed. The 

 most encouraging report comes from southern New Jersey, 

 where it is estimated that from 75,000 to 100,000 wood ducks 

 have been bred and raised this year. Only a few years ago the 

 beautiful wood duck was in imminent danger of extinction. Mr. 

 Speenburgh saw at least 50 wood ducks on one mill pond, also 

 a flock of black ducks. In other localities he saw large flocks of 

 black ducks that had been reared on these breeding grounds. 



Teal have been breeding he says in some numbers, and some 

 mallards were seen early in the fall, which he believes bred there. 

 Comments of the press of Minnesota, Michigan, New York and 

 Maine are given in the bulletin, all of which assert that the 

 birds are increasing, in some cases large flocks of wild fowl ap- 



