154 AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST. 
though not nearly as abundant as formerly. The other two 
are intermediate in size and were therefore hunted in prefer- 
ence to the bob-white, and being less prolific, they have be- 
come almost extinct, but their shyness has prolonged their 
existence E Saad present time. 
, geese, snipe, plover, rails, loons, cranes, her- 
I ete., eonatituts a "mi a group of water 
bi ese were found in enormous numbers about the 
takes, swamps and streams afore the State was settled. The 
group as a whole, and probably every species in it, has dimin- 
ished in numbers, partly because of hunting and partly because 
their nesting and feeding grounds have been destroyed by 
draining and clearing the land. 
s and owls and other raptorial birds yf a 
another group have ving a distinct ecological position. They 
— to compete with the carnivorous mammals for Y tood 
and as these have dimished they have gained an advantage. 
But fe “Of them have preyed on poultry and thereby have 
aroused man’s enmity. As a consequence he has made war 
upon all species without discriminating between the beneficial 
and the injurious. The larger species, as the eagle es, have 
greatly diminished in numbers. Some of the prairie species 
have increased for a time perhaps, but there has been a gen- 
eral, though "€ uniform, reduction of the Raptores. 
Th r Passeres includes all of our songsters, in fact, 
the vast pi of the smaller and more common birds of 
field and garden and almost the only species that regularly 
visit the cities. None are of very large size and none are truly 
rapacious. Most of them feed wholly on seeds or inset 
Hence there is no shortage in food supply, while a decrease 
- in the number of carnivorous mammals and raptorial birds 
has removed some of their most dangerous enemies. 
The species of the group have diverse habits. The warb- 
lers, kinglets, vireos and flycatchers are principally woodland : 
birds, but most of 2 species take kindly to the presence of 
man m about groves and orchards, and even 
in the shade trees that ee city streets. Many of the warblers 
are known to us only as migrants and there is little evidence 
to ho^ 3 that their wersbers have chan ng The vireos and 
warblers that stay with us, nest in open groves and about 
habitations ive or six of the E p are shy woodland 
birds and may have diminished as the forests are cleared. 
Crows and jays are reckoned as destructive birds but they 
are also cunning and well able to care for themselves under 
most circumstances. They are not especially fond of the for- 
est and I suspect that they may have been on the increase 
