6 
picked up none of them, so satiated -with grouse was 
lie as well as every member of his family. My own 
servants preferred the fattest flitch of bacon to their 
flesh, and not unfrequently laid them as'de as unfit 
for food.” Twenty-five years after, the same author 
says, “ Such an account may appear strange; but in 
that same country where, twenty-five years ago, they 
could not have been sold for more than one cent 
a-piece, scarcely one is now to be found. The grouse 
have abandoned the State of Kentucky, and removed 
Yellow-rumped Warbler. Dendroica coronata. 
(like the Indian) every season farther to the west¬ 
ward to escape from the murderous white man.” 
The bird above mentioned was once probably very 
abundant in all the southern New England States, 
but is now only found in small numbers on Martha’s 
Vineyard and one or two other islands olf the south¬ 
ern coast of Massachusetts, being entirely extinct on 
the main land of New England. 
Mr. J. A. Allen says,* “ The mammalian and 
bird faun re of all the older settled parts of the 
United States are vastly different from what they 
were two hundred years ago. These changes con¬ 
sist mainly in the great decrease in number of all 
the larger species, not a few of which are already 
extirpated where they were formerly common. A 
few of the smaller species of both classes have doubt¬ 
less increased in numbers. Many ot our water-fowl 
that are now only transient visitors, — as the Canada 
Hooded Merganser. Lopho'Ules cucullatus . 
goose, the several species of Merganser, teals, black 
duck, ar.d mallard, — undoubtedly once bred in this 
State (Massachusetts), as did also the wild turkey 
and prairie hen.” An old farmer ot Essex County 
recently told us that fifteen years ago the passenger- 
* “ American Naturalist,” Vol. III., No. 10. 
pigeon was accustomed to breed in considerable num¬ 
bers in a forest not far from his house. Now a few 
pairs may be seen in the spring and fall migrations , 
but none in the summer. In the. same county, ten 
years ago, the ruffed grouse was quite abundant, but 
now it is rare that any are seen except in the deep¬ 
est woods, and then only an occasional pair, most of 
them having been snared, and sent to the .Boston 
market, laws to the contrary notwithstanding. For¬ 
merly some six or seven species ot sea-ducks bred 
among the islands of Massachusetts; now none are 
to be found except the dusky-duck, and that in no 
great abundance. 
Wood, or Summer-duck. A lx sponsa . 
INCREASE OF INSECTS. 
As a result of ihe decrease in the number of birds, 
we find that insects have been steadily increasing; 
and the aggregate loss through their agency is now 
much greater than in former years. Since 1860, the 
damage done each year by such insects as the canker- 
worm, currant-worm, wheat-midge, Ilessian-fly, &c., 
has been greater and greater; so that, in some sec¬ 
tions, the cultivation of particular crops has been 
almost abandoned. New species of noxious insects 
are constantly being discovered by entomologists and 
others; while many species before unknown in this 
country have been introduced by the importation of 
plants, &c., from Europe. Ins( cts that are abundant 
in the West are gradually working eastward, as the 
Colorado potato-beetle; and only earnest study and 
< ffort will prevent the continued increase of these 
pL sts of the land. 
There are about thirty species of insects which 
subsist on our garden vegetables. The grape-vine 
has about fifty insect enemies; the apple-tree seventy- 
five ; our different shade-trees some over a hundred ; 
wheat and other grains fifty. The crop of wheat in 
the State of Illinois was injured by insects, iu one 
year, to the estimated amount of seventy-three mil¬ 
lions of dollars. The estimated annual destruction 
of property by insects in the United S ates is as 
high as lour hundred million dollars. The effect of 
tins loss is felt not alone by the farmer. It is to this, 
in a large measure, that many poor men owe their 
poverty; to this mint be attributed the high pric e 
of farm-produce and all 1 ealthy food, and the con¬ 
sequent increase of disease and want in our lartre 
cities. We do not hesitate to say that at least one- 
eighth of this loss by insects might be prevented by 
the careful protection and encouragement of birds; 
