18 
from whom Mr. Hornaday received his information. The 
names of three of his correspondents appear in this list. 
Circulars were sent to the other eight, hut they failed to 
return them. 
Expert Evidence. 
Nantucket County. — Mr. George H. Mackay of Boston, 
well known as an authority on Massachusetts sea fowl, wild 
fowl and shore birds, who is very familiar with Nantucket, 
says that shore birds generally are decreasing; some species 
have fallen off from 66 to 98 per cent in sixty years. Other 
species have not decreased so much, or remain about the 
same. He has noticed no general decrease among the smaller 
land birds. 
Bristol County. — Mr. F. H. Mosher of Dartmouth re- 
ports that some species are decreasing, others remain about 
the same and a few seem to be increasing. He says the de- 
crease of certain species has been progressing for at least 
twenty years. Mr. Arthur C. Bent of Taunton says that, 
generally speaking, birds are not materially decreasing. In 
some few cases they are, but the numbers remain about the 
same as a whole. Mr. Elisha Slade of Somerset says that 
in his locality practically all native species are decreasing. 
The decrease has been continuing spasmodically, he says, for 
forty years. He estimates the falling off of certain species 
within thirty years as follows: quail, ruffed grouse, herons 
and nighthawks, 50 per cent; mourning doves, purple 
martins and house wrens, 75 per cent; bank swallows, barn 
swallows, flickers, swifts, warblers and thrushes, 30 per cent. 
Plymouth County. — Mr. Arthur Curtis Dyke of Bridge- 
water reports some species as certainly decreasing. Among 
these he mentions mainly swallows, birds of prey, game birds 
and wild fowl. Mr. Rufus H. Carr of Brockton says: “ Not 
appreciably decreasing, except certain species. Game birds 
and herons, one-third; hawks and owls, one-fourth.” 
Norfolk County. — Mr. Henry B. Bigelow of Cohasset 
says : “ I believe that birds are decreasing only slightly in 
this locality. There is a great yearly variation in numbers. 
A great decrease in shore birds and water fowl took place 
about five years ago.” Mr. Frank Blake Webster of Hyde 
