As this report is written (June 1941) reports are available from 
breeding grounds in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Maine, Nova Scotia, New Bruns- 
wick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and eastern Ontario. In Ontario and 
Quebec there appears to be a population of woodcock that may approximate 
that of a couple of years ago but from almost all other points the evidence 
indicates a continued decrease. 
Wilson's Snipe 
As has been stated in previous reports, the Wilson's snipe or "jack- 
snipe" has an extensive breeding range that extends northward to Alaska, 
Mackenzie, Labrador, and Newfoundland. Because of this it has been felt 
that the birds were not in any particular danger. 
A careful study of data obtained in recent years and compared with 
that of a decade or two ago shows, however, that we are confronted with 
another case of a species that is steadily Slipping downward toward the 
danger point. 
A comparison of the reports of increase and decrease of the spring 
migrations of 1939, 1940, and 1941, and of the fall migrations of 1939 and 
1940, graphically illustrates what is taking place (Table 3). 
Table 3 
Percentage comparison of reports on the status of Wilson's snipe 
Ae : _ Spring migration : Fall migration 
Classification OSM LS ROME NLORTN = 1939 5 1940 
ee ee 
2p ine giipiea sel? Brel aah @ ysdsongy 
ANS ip Woo ro Ui ta aa) 3 26 
Increase 
Decrease 
ee 08 be 
= 
Service investigators who have, for several years visited the northern 
nesting grounds, have reported that while they always find some of these 
birds, the numbers are never large and are startingly small by comparison 
with those reported by other naturalists who visited the samc regions a 
decade or two ago. 
Rails and Coots 
Reports on the coot at the times of both the spring and fall migrations 
of 1940, indicated very little change in its numerical status. In both 
analyses of both of these series of returns there was some evidence of 
decrease. Tabulation of the figures from the 1941 January inventory, how- 
ever, produced a total that amounted to only 60% of that for Jamary, 1930. 
No explanation is available as the reports from the breeding grounds, par- 
ticularly from some of the refuges in the northern part of the United States 
show that this species is still too abundant in view of its agressive dis- 
position toward other birds. 
23 
