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GAME AND SHORE BIRDS IN ESSEX COUNTY, 
MASSACHUSETTS, 1922. 
John C. Phillips. 
It may be of some interest at this time, just at the close 
of the shooting season of 1922 in Essex County, to write 
a short review of its main peculiarities. In several respects 
it has been unusual. It followed a very wet summer, which 
began with some nine inches of rain in June, and continued 
wet until October. Moreover, the June floods extended far 
north and east, at least to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and. 
perhaps further. 
Take the shore birds first. There were very few lesser 
Yellow-legs on the marshes when the season opened. On 
August 16, a small flight had already passed along. On 
August 30 and 31 there was, however, quite a large flight 
of waders, which lasted over into early September. There 
were some Black-breasted and a few Golden Plover at this 
time. The flight of Winter Yellow-legs was small—the last 
was seen November 12. 
The duck season opened with fewer Black Ducks than 
usual, both on the fresh marshes and along the shore. The 
local ducks did not breed as well as for several years past, 
in spite of high water and what might seem optimum con¬ 
ditions. Wood Ducks also were scarcer than for several 
seasons along the Ipswich River. There was no well-marked 
flight of Blue-winged Teal. I saw one near the Ipswich 
Poor Farm on August 11, an early record. 
Snipe wei e late in arriving and found their usual grounds 
covered with water. A long hunt on September 16 failed to 
reveal a single one, and it was not until the night of Sep¬ 
tember 24-25 that they paid a visit to this county. On the 
morning of September 25, after a heavy frost, I started 
fifteen or twenty birds. On the twenty-eighth there were 
a few snipe around and for several days following, but they 
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