28 BULLETIN 1165, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



some areas largely birch. In the northwest corner is a small swamp 

 covered with alders. On these 562 acres there were found 502 pairs 

 of nesting bkds, representing 52 species, or at the rate of 89 pairs 

 per 100 acres. This is 78 per cent greater than the bird population 

 found in the Rocky Mountain forests, but is probably explained by 

 the difference in the kind of land surveyed rather than in the number 

 of birds per acre in the eastern and western forests. In this case 

 part of the woods was adjacent to open land, so that birds would 

 naturally have been more abundant than in the deeper forest. 



This wooded area surrounds a tract of 78 acres of cleared land, 

 which was also surveyed. The latter tract contained 48 acres in 

 grass and other farm crops, with about 50 old apple trees scattered 

 over it, and 1 full acre of dwarf orchard. In one corner was a swamp 

 of about one-eighth of an acre, drained by a wet-weather stream. 

 Efforts had been made to attract birds by the placing of bird baths, 

 a 16-compartment martin house, and a dozen bird boxes. On this 

 land there were 162 pairs of birds representing 23 species, a rate of 

 about 208 pairs per 100 acres. 



Regarding these two areas Mr. Whittle says : 



It appeared to us tliat this sharply defined relationship of forested land, surrounding 

 closely and nearly solidly an unforested tract, afforded an excellent opportunity to 

 compare the nesting bird life of each area, and, while the area selected is somewhat 

 ambitious as to size, I can assure you that it has been combed by systematically spaced 

 swaths (cruised east and west), and the lists submitted perhaps contain no more errors 

 than appertain to the nature of the work. * * * 



The most abundant family was warblers, of which there were 11 genera and 262 

 [pairs of] birds, or 39.45+ per cent of the total number of all birds found. To this 

 family also must be credited-the largest number of any single species; 66 oven-birds 

 were found, constituting only a fraction under 10 per cent of the total birds. The 

 robin was next in abundance, comprising 9+ per cent of the total. 



The robins' nests in the larger area were confined to the immediate inner border 

 next the open fields. None nested in the deep shade of the thick pine forest, especially 

 where the trees are large. 



SCARCITY OF BIRDS IN 1918. 



A decrease in the number of breeding birds per acre in 1918 was 

 noted in many cases when tabulating the results of the bird counts 

 for the five years 1916-1920, and a close study was made of the sub- 

 ject in order to ascertain whether this decrease was real or only 

 apparent, local or general, and, if possible, its cause. For the part 

 oi the country lying east of the one hundredth meridian there are on 

 file 24 series of reports covering the same tracts of land for at least 

 the three years 1916-1918. These reports cover a total of 1,478 

 acres and represent areas picked at random in 18 States, from Maine 

 to Florida and from Minnesota to Texas, and may be considered to 

 reflect fairly well the conditions in the eastern United States. 



Examination of these reports reveals that in 1918 73 species show 

 a decrease on two or more reports and 28 more on one report each. 

 Ten of the species show a decrease on four reports and 22 on five- 

 or more, the highest being the catbird on 11 reports and the 

 phoebe and song sparrow on 9. The following list will give some 

 idea of the species affected: Mourning dove, 2 cuckoos, 7 species 

 of woodpeckers, nighthawk, chimney swift, 2 species of humming- 

 birds, 8 species of flycatchers, meadowlark, 2 orioles, 19 species of 

 sparrows, 2 tanagers, 3 species of swallows, 6 species of vireos, 13 



