400 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



[Pub. Doc. 



pearing where until recently there were none ; and some aver 

 that there have been more ducks and geese this year than at any 

 time within the recollection of the observers. 



Such an increase had already begun in Massachusetts under 

 State law before the Federal law Avas passed. I have received 

 a number of reports of the breeding of mallards, — something 

 unheard of until within the past few years. The red-breasted 

 merganser or sheldrake, a few pairs of which are said to have 

 bred in the State in recent years, are now summering in larger 

 numbers. There is one report of the breeding of the hooded 

 merganser within the State. A pair summered here, and young 

 birds were seen, but hooded mergansers appear now in the fall 

 in small numbers where they have not been noted for many 

 years. The breeding of black ducks and wood ducks is now so 

 common and Avidespread that it creates little comment, and now 

 and then a Canada goose or two are seen in the late spring or 

 summer, and a family or small flock now and then appears early 

 in September. No details regarding the whereabouts of any of 

 these birds is given in this report, as experience has shown that 

 the surest way to lead to the destruction of a rare bird is to 

 advertise its locality. Following is a list of species which have 

 summered within the State in recent years, and most if not all 

 of them have bred here : — 



Mergus Americanas, 

 Mergus serrator^ 

 Lophodytes eucullatus, 

 Anas platrynchos, . 

 Anas Buhripes, 

 Aix Sponsa, . 

 Urania Canadensis, 



Merganser or sheldrake. 



Red-breasted merganser. 



Hooded merganser. 



Mallard. 



Black duck. 



Wood duck. 



Canada goose. 



In the cases of the mallard and the Canada goose, however, 

 some of the birds remaining wdth us may have been individuals 

 that escaped from captivity, as considerable numbers of both 

 species are kept as breeding birds or decoys. In some of the 

 other cases one bird of "a pair may have been crippled and unable 

 to fly. Such birds sometimes secure mates and nest wherever 

 they happen to be. Probably any of the wild fowl that can 

 endure the summer in this latitude might be induced to nest 



