assistants deserve especial commendation for their work in overcoming many 
unforeseeable obstacles to insure the success of this inventory, The results 
were most gratifying. 
When the waterfowl restoration program was inaugurated, naturalists and 
administrators of the Service agreed that the maintainence of a continental 
population of 100,000,000 to 150,000,000 ducks and geese would supply annual 
surpluses adequate for reasonable sporting purposes, That this minimum objective 
has not yet been reached is known from an analysis of the data resulting from the 
inventory of January 1942, which indicates a population strength only slightly 
in excess of 100,000,000. 
The increase shown by the inventory of January 1942 is easily larger than 
any since these operations were begun in 1936, and may be attributed to the 
excellent breeding season over most of the summer range and to light bags of 
the hunting season. The gain was general for all species of ducks except the 
black duck, which showed a loss of about 6 percent from the 1941 figures, and 
as Was anticipated from studies made during the fall migration, an excellent 
comeback was made by the redhead, canvasback, and other divers. 
Geese, on the other hand, did not do so well, the snow goose and brant 
being the only species that showed a material increase over 1941. In the case 
of the white-fronted goose, the percentage of loss was not significant. The 
decrease for the important Canada goose was nearly 30 percent, clearly indicating 
that in some localities the take continued to be excessive for this bird. The 
breeding season apparently was unsatisfactory for the blue goose, as this species 
also showed a decrease. Since, however, the shooting season take is usually 
small, and since extensive areas of the national wildlife refuge system are found 
in their winter range, no alarm is felt regarding their status. 
Continued application of good management principles should assure a constant 
surplus of shootable ducks and geese. Certain hunting methods that were partially 
responsible for the dangerous lows reached only 6 years ago should probably be out- 
lawed forever, but there is no reason now apparent for questioning the future 
continuance of Nortn American wildfowling. 
PART 2: OTHER MIGRATORY GAME BIRDS 
The numerical status of the woodcock showed some improvement during 1941 
although over its entire range, the situation was decidedly spotty. Of l2l 
reports that covered the spring migration and were comparable with those of 
1940, 70 indicated no change, 14 an increase, and 37 ae further decrease, The 
reports of decrease rose from 22 percent in 1940 to 30 percent in 1941. 
On the breeding grounds investigations showed an improvement in Pennsylvania 
and further losses in Maine. On a study area in eastern Maine that had 55 occupied 
singing grounds in 1939, there were only 40 in 1940 and 33 in 1941. Worx by Mr. 
Peters in the Maritime Provinces indicated little change since 1940. Data obtained 
during the fall migration however, made it apparent that over much of the range 
the breeding season had been fairly satisfactory, particularly ir. Pennsylvania. 
