river ducks and certain waders. Mr. F. H. Scott of Westfield 
tliinks birds are not decreasing there. “ Some years ago a 
scarcity of some of the smaller birds was apparent; recently 
there has been an increase among many.” 
Berkshire County. — Mr. J. M. Van Huyck of Lee thinks 
birds are decreasing, but the decrease is assigned mainly to 
the larger species ; the smaller species seemingly are on the 
increase. Hawks, owls, eagles, game birds and herons have 
decreased much, according to his observations. 
On the whole, the above-mentioned observers apparently 
have not seen a great decrease in the numbers of the smaller 
birds except in the case of a few species ; but the older ob- 
servers record a considerable diminution within forty to 
sixty years among game birds, water-fowl and shore birds. 
My own experience as a resident of the suburbs of Worces- 
ter and Boston, if taken alone, might lead me to believe that 
the smaller native birds have fallen off much within the last 
thirty years throughout the State, as they certainly have in 
those cities; but in many country towns I find the majority 
of the smaller species still in nearly the same numbers as 
thirty years ago. I do not find small birds as numerous in 
Plymouth and Bristol counties, or in sections of Middlesex 
County as they were in Worcester County thirty years ago. 
The fertile soil of Worcester, one of the richest agricultural 
counties in the world, supports more birds to the acre than 
the sandy soil of Plymouth and Bristol counties, or the grav- 
elly hills of some parts of Middlesex. The large number of 
cities in eastern Massachusetts, with their ever-increasing 
population flooding the surrounding country, must have had 
a seriously restrictive effect on the bird life of this section. 
Ho one will question the fact that the sum of bird life must 
have been somewhat reduced in this region by the growth 
and expansion of the cities, and the destructive and repellant 
forces which radiate from them into the surrounding coun- 
try; but, outside of a certain radius from each city, the con- 
ditions of bird life still remain much the same (for most of 
the smaller species) as they were in much of the city itself 
forty years ago. This may be illustrated by the experience 
